Q101 The Alternative
Q101 (formerly on Chicago radio @ 101.1 FM) The Alternative - Chicago's New Rock Alternative - Everything Alternative - Chicago's Alternative - Gen X - Generation X
Drive-Thru Records is arguably the most important label in the Pop Punk landscape, and there really isn’t much to argue. Started in 1996 Drive-Thru Records has given us bands such as Midtown, The Starting Line, RX Bandits and Chicago’s own Allister to name a few. With the recent surge in amazing Pop Punk records and bands Drive-Thru Records is looking at getting back in the mix. The last bit of news I heard about Drive-Thru is that owners Richard and Stefanie Reines applied for a $250,000 grant to start the label up again. Assuming everything is moving along positively with the grant we now switch focus to The Stellar Life. The band Drive-Thru Records is relaunching around.
See now the title of this article makes sense. The Stellar Life recently released their debut EP “Motherf*uckers”. The EP clocks in at Eighteen minutes and overall is a nice listen. The problem is that this is Drive-Thru Records first release since 2007. So we have to look at this EP as a Drive-Thru Records release. So many great albums/EPs were released on Drive-Thru Allister’s –Last Stop Suburbia, New Found Glorys-Nothing Gold Can Stay, The Starting Lines-With Hopes Of Starting Over and many more. Is “Motherf*uckers” in that category…no. The first track “Nineteen” clocks in at 4:48 so it is not your typical short, fast punch in the mouth opening tack. “Rock and Roll” sounds like a Drive-Thru Records track. It’s catchy as hell and will stay in your head for days. The EP ends with “Got F*ucked Up” a nice, infectious pop punk tune.
I can’t wait until Drive-Thru Records is back and signing up bands to expose to the world. This is a great thing for the Pop Punk Scene and a great thing if you happen to be in a band.
Listen to The Stellar Life’s “Rock & Roll” Below
Real Friends are a pop punk band from the suburbs of our beautiful city. This year they released their EP “Everyone That Dragged You Here”. Shortly after the release Real Friends exploded and solidified themselves as the top pop punk band in Illinois. Everyone That Dragged You Here is filled with honesty, frustration, and passion. Oh and boney Knees can’t forget that. One thing that Real Friends does perfect on this EP is have music that is intelligent and thought provoking and that can also be screamed at a show. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the lyrics in Floorboards: “I don’t want to be jealous of the trees next to my neighbor’s garage anymore”
I love that the lyrics make me stop and think. Floorboards is track one on the EP and it’s a great first track. Every song is distinct and memorable. That’s what makes this EP so good. The last song on the EP is Home For Fall a song about a friend going away and it has some of the best lyrics I’ve heard
“Maybe you’ll be here next year to waste the fall away, watching the leaves blow across my driveway We could listen to American Football and talk about high school Just like we did the years before”
Any band with an American Football reference is okay in my book. Since Real Friends will most likely go the way of Fall Out Boy and be assumed to be a Chicago band I don’t think we should argue about it. On behalf of Chicago Real Friends you have made us all proud. Every scene has their band in New Jersey you have the Crucial Dudes,Philadelphia has The Wonder Years, and Now Illinois has Real Friends.
Real Friends discuss what the songs on Everyone That Dragged You Here are about. It’s definitely an interesting read-Song Meanings Stream Everyone That Dragged You Here-http://realfriends.bandcamp.com/album/everyone-that-dragged-you-here Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/realfriendsband You can also vote for Real Friends to be a constant on the Q101 Stream-VOTE HERE!
Three Cent Cinema have been carrying the pop punk flag in Chicago since 2009. Now in 2012 they have finally released their debut album Ages. The main thing I got from listening to Ages over and over again was pure emotion. Now you’re probably saying “Hey Mike doesn’t every band put emotion into their music” well internet dude the short answer is no. Throughout Ages topics such as loneliness, wasted opportunities, and lack of confidence are brought up. This isn’t a happy record by any stretch. Near the end of the album you just want to scream “Hey cheer up things aint so bad”. Ages clocks in at about 25 minutes so the themes and topics don’t wear you out. Call me old fashioned but I love to have physical copies of records. Since I’m also a big lyric buff I read along as I listened to the album. Some of my favorite lyrics are
From Jughead: “I’ve been trying to make believe that it’s not just you and me that there’s something more to this than my lack of confidence”
From Still Life: “waiting is all that I do drowning in dry thoughts I waste time alone in my room”
I’ve never been much of an album reviewer but I do love to talk about good music. I’m not going to rate this album but what I will say is that I really enjoyed it and I definitely recommend it.
Stream Ages Here-threecentcinema.bandcamp.com facebook.com/threecentcinema
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