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Static Radio NJ – We Are All Beasts (For fans of Lifetime, Banquets, The Great Explainer)

/ June 22, 2012 / No comments

Static Radio NJ have evolved quite a bit over the past few years. After releasing their debut One For The Good Guys EP, the band gained popularity due to their no bullshit, fast paced hardcore. With their follow up An Evening Of Bad Decisions, Static Radio NJ switched gears into a more melodic direction, and with their latest release We Are All Beasts, they expand their Lifetime-esque sound even more.

With 12 melodic punk tracks it’s almost impossible not to compare them to other NJ contemporaries such as Banquets or The Great Explainer. While the band is more melodic, Static Radio NJ manages to be more straightforward in their melodies. At times on Evening Of Bad Decisions, it sometimes sounded like the band was trying too hard to change their sound up and evolve, but on We Are All Beasts the songs are much more natural and organic sounding. The band also shows a completely new side breaking uncharted territory with their acoustic tearjerker Geeks, yet still manage to remain gritty as fuck.

Where in the past vocals used to be yelled or screamed, the majority are now sung with a gruffness that (strangely) reminds me a bit of Kurt Cobain (seriously… go listen to Some Kind Of Something or the chorus of I Might Kill, you’ll see what I mean).

Fans who were hoping for a return to hardcore form will be disappointed, but while One For The Good Guys holds a special place in my hardcore heart, We Are All Beasts is definitely one fuck of a listen and definitely worth your time.

MP3:
Static Radio NJ – I Might Kill

More:
Static Radio NJ – One For The Good Guys
Static Radio NJ – An Evening of Bad Decisions
Lifetime Live In Philly

Buy:
We Are All Beasts

Category: music, punk / Tags: music, nj, punk, static radio nj

Bouncing Souls, Cheap Girls, Static Radio NJ Live in Philly (6/8/12)

/ June 9, 2012 / No comments

Last night I headed to Philly’s Trocadero to catch my all time favorite band, The Bouncing Souls. This was the first time seeing them in Philadelphia since shattering my arm last year at their shows at the First Unitarian Church, and it was also their record release show for their latest album, Comet.

Static Radio NJ

I didn’t even realize Static Radio NJ was on the bill until about an hour before the show started, so I hauled ass to catch them. They took the stage to a mostly empty room that started to pack out once they hit the first chord. Not many people knew who these guys were, but a dedicated few sang along to every word.

It was a bit strange seeing them on a stage that big (I’m used to seeing them play basement shows), but they utilized the space well and seemed completely comfortable up there. They didn’t play any of their earlier hardcore stuff from One For The Good Guys and mostly concentrated on their latest release We Are All Beasts. I’m not overly familiar with that album (listened to it once or twice) so I didn’t know a lot of the songs, but they do translate really well live. Still, I would have loved to hear “Won’t Sleep”.

Highlights:
Green Hoody
Addict
I Might Kill

Cheap Girls:

I’ve never really heard Cheap Girls before, and when they started I was digging their first few songs, but I will admit, I got a bit bored halfway through the set. People in the crowd seemed to dig their pop tinged mid tempo music, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Bouncing Souls:

You know what’s strange? The fact I still get ridiculously excited to see the Souls even though this would be close to the 30th time seeing them. The lights when dark, and the crowd instantly busted into the Ole and Here We Go chants that we’re known to do at Souls shows. When they finally took the stage, they busted out into the song Static from their latest Comet, and instantly people broke out into a pit that didn’t let up for the rest of the night.

Following it up with Kids and Heroes, I immediately lost both my sneakers in the pit which I didn’t retrieve until the very end of the night. Looks like I’m going to have to risk moshing in my socks (just avoid the big dudes wearing doc martens.)

The Bouncing Souls played a mix of songs from most of their albums (except The Good The Bad And The Argyle for some reason). Definitely a solid show, even though I was incredibly distracted trying to find my god damn shoes. I need to check Comet out immediately.

Setlist (Not in order and from what I remember, I am missing a bunch of the new songs)

-Static
-Kids and Heroes
-Sing Along Forever
-Highway Kings
-Anchors Aweigh
-Cracked
-Say Anything
-ECFU
-Kate Is Great
-Hopeless Romantic
-Night On Earth
-That Song
-Private Radio
-True Believers
-The Something Special
-Lifetime
-Late Bloomer
-Gone
-Argyle
-Here We Go
-Lean On Sheena
-Midnight Mile
-Coin Toss Girl
-We Want Fun
-Few more new ones I don’t know the names of