tenessential
Albums By Bands Who Broke Up This Year
Alternative Press - Editorial Intern on 3/25/09 @ 5:03 PM - altpress.comThrowing in the towel, calling it quits, tapping out, taking the ol' "indefinite hiatus"-there are a million and one ways to describe it, but they all mean the same thing: A band you love have gone their separate ways, and they ain't gettin' back together any time soon. As you read in our year-in-review special, we lost a metric ton of talent this year. Here are a few of our favorite albums by those we'll miss the most.
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Be Your Own Pet Be Your Own Pet (Ecstatic Peace/Universal,2006)
Perennially misunderstood, underage Nashville garage-punk quartet Be Your Own Pet exploded onto the scene (or at least into Jason Pettigrew’s iTunes library) in 2006 with their self-titled debut, co-released between mega-major Universal and Sonic Youth leader Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace label. The sound contained within is almost a mockery of that label dichotomy, especially on “Bunk Trunk Skunk,” where vixen Jemina Pearl howls, “I’m an independent motherfucker/And I’m here to take your money,” over buzzsaw guitars and a raging rhythm section.
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The Ergs! Upstairs/Downstairs (Dirtnap,2008)
This breakup hurts the most for fans of real, honest (aka heavily Descendents-influenced) pop-punk, as New Jersey power trio the Ergs! were finally achieving widespread popularity after eight years in the trenches-then guitarist Jeff Schroeck quit the band. But as is typical with most bands of this genre, they left behind a wealth of material, the apex being Upstairs/Downstairs. Most notable is “Books About Miles Davis,” a love song for the retarded that’s better than Joe Queer’s finest.
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The Format Dog Problems (The Vanity Label,2006)
Having began as a disposable major-label rock act, it’s doubtful anyone could have expected the massive artistic left turn Arizona duo the Format took on their second and final album, Dog Problems. Sam Means and Nate Ruess went rogue on us, writing a dense, folksy indie-pop record and self-releasing it when and how they wanted to, including giving the whole dang thing away for free download-three months before Radiohead pulled a similar stunt. We’ve gotta give credit where credit is due.
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From Autumn To Ashes Too Bad You’re Beautiful (Ferret,2001)
From Autumn To Ashes had one hell of a ride during the past eight years before finally giving up the ghost this past June. While occasional inter-band drama overshadowed the music FATA were cranking out, nothing can take away from the metalcore masterpiece that is Too Bad You’re Beautiful. Intensely emotional and cathartic, the album unwittingly became a blueprint for literally hundreds of upstart bands to follow (and make bank off of). Download “Cherry Kiss” to educate yourself appropriately.
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Holy Roman Empire The Longue Duree (Hewhocorrupts Inc.,2007)
Note to future rockers of the world: Avoid being in a band with someone you’re dating, as it almost always ends poorly. (Haven’t you heard of Fleetwood Mac? C’mon, people!) Holy Roman Empire were victims of the “relationship breakup spawning the band breakup” bug earlier this year when powerhouse vocalist Emily Schambra and guitarist Jay Jancetic broke things off. Luckily, there’s compelling audio evidence of their combined talent, as this album is packed to the gills with forward-thinking post-hardcore.
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LaGrecia On Parallels (Suburban Home,2008)
Apparently, Jason Shevchuk didn’t get the “don’t date your co-workers” memo: The singer/guitarist’s incredibly short-lived country-rock project LaGrecia were derailed before their debut album was even released due to his romantic relationship with drummer Dana Berkowitz splintering early in 2008. On the plus side, LaGrecia’s demise has given us back None More Black. However, it’s incredibly unfortunate the Brooklyn trio never got to fully tour behind this album, as “In The Grass” is one of the best songs by any band we’ve heard all year.
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Modern Life Is War Witness (Deathwish, Inc.,2005)
The soundtrack to VFW hall shows the entire summer after it was released, Witness was a watershed record for Iowa hardcore quintet Modern Life Is War, and for hardcore in general. While MLIW’s debut, My Love. My Way. was enjoyable, no one expected the band to get as lyrically deep and dark-and as musically aggressive and innovative-as they did on Witness. The band may have ended their seven-year run this past April, but songs like “D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E.S.” and “The Outsiders” will live on forever.
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New Mexican Disaster Squad Don't Believe (Jade Tree,2006)
You don’t have to write life-changing music to make effective albums; you just need to write passionate songs-something Orlando-based hardcore-punk quartet New Mexican Disaster Squad did in spades. Sounding like Strike Anywhere with a big crush on Rollins-era Black Flag, the band’s sophomore album, Don’t Believe, explodes with raw power and visceral, no-bullshit lyricism. NMDS never made much of a dent in the scene, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be missed.
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The Receiving End Of Sirens Between The Heart And The Synapse (Triple Crown,2005)
As fun as rock ’n’ roll is, there’s generally no Similac or Gerber’s on tour riders, which is why it’s hard to be mad at TREOS for breaking up-vocalist/bassist Brendan Brown became a father and did the right thing. While there are some faults in this album (namely the fact that it is too fucking long), the one-two punch of “Planning A Prison Break” and “The Rival Cycle” is incredible enough to give the entire rest of the disc a mulligan.
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The Starting Line Based On A True Story (Drive-Thru/Geffen,2005)
Longtime TSL fans may decry the choice simply because it’s not the band’s debut LP, Say It Like You Mean It-a classic in the nü-emo/pop-punk genre if there ever were one-but for our money, it doesn’t get any better than the quartet’s sophomore album. It’s here where frontman Kenny Vasoli began the journey into manhood (and becoming Kenneth), and you can definitely hear Person L’s seeds being planted in “Inspired By The $” and “Artistic License.”
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oh no the starting line ):
the starting line got back together <3