We’ve teamed up with Night Riots to give away a copy of their latest EP, Howl! This EP debuted at number 17 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart and has been making its way up SiriusXM Alt Nation’s Alt 18 Countdown (currently at #2)!
To enter: retweet this post and follow us on twitter! That’s it!
You can catch these guys on the road this summer at the Big Guava Music Festival and select dates of the Vans Warped Tour!
New Music Video:
Our Apartment | Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties
The video premiered exclusively on Billboard.com where frontman Dan “Soupy” Campbell spoke about the concept of the video itself. He says, “"In writing the concept for this, I found myself really engaged by music videos where a band plays to a hostile audience…I love the idea that it functions primarily as a performance video but that it has a storyline element as well…I thought about what the perfect hostile audience for Aaron West would be.”
What do you guys think of the video?
This Friday’s upcoming episode of Guitar Center Sessions will feature The Gaslight Anthem! It will showcase a full set from the band, including material off their latest album, Get Hurt, which charted on the Billboard 200 and debuted as number 1 on Billboard’s Alternative Albums chart. The episode will air on DIRECTV’s Audience Network (channel 239) at 9pm this Friday, November 14th.
Check out a behind-the-scenes clip of the episode by clicking here!
Anberlin has released their new track, “Hearing Voices,” which is available on iTunes now and can be purchased here! Last month, the band premiered the debut track off the album, “Stranger Ways,” which is currently being featured on Billboard.com.
The bands upcoming and final album, Lowborn, will be released on July 22nd, and is available for pre-order on anberlin.com/lowborn or toothandnail.com/store.
For fans of: Defiance Ohio, Ghost Mice, Ramschackle Glory
Andrew Jackson Jihad is not the easiest band to get into; I’ll admit that. The lyrics are often out there, and many people may just hear “noise” and not really appreciate the music of Andrew Jackson Jihad. However, there is a reason that they’re blowing up with the release of Christmas Island: while Andrew Jackson Jihad fans may question the album’s sound, it does a good job of pulling people in who may otherwise never be able to get into the band’s folk-punk sound. They have finally broken through to the other side, and a band like Andrew Jackson Jihad finally approaching the Billboard charts begs the question: are they selling out, or are they just growing up?
I say they’re growing up, but don’t confuse this with an accusation of previous immaturity. With songs from the past like “Fuck White People,” “Zombie By The Cranberries By Andrew Jackson Jihad,” and “Rejoice,” it’s easy to consider the means of the message and at first-listen label Andrew Jackson Jihad immature, but it’s quite the opposite. All critiques on society, front man and lyricist Sean Bonnette has always said what everyone wants to say but is to scared to say. What makes Christmas Island different than its predecessors, though, is its lack of abrasiveness that many Andrew Jackson Jihad fans, such as myself, are used to.
Christmas Island’s “Temple Grandin” starts the album off with, “Open up your murder eyes, and see the ugly world that spat you out,” which captures in a beautifully cynical way our current societal state. “I Wanna Rock Out In My Dreams,” sums up nicely the combination heartbreak and growing up with, “The older I get, the better I am at lying, the more friends and family I have dead or dying. It’s harder to define love; I’ve got to drink more if I want to catch a buzz. The older I get, the more articulate I am at whining.” In “Kokopelli Face Tattoo,” sings and continues to reiterate, “Hey, dude, I hate everything you do, but I’m trying really hard to not hate you; hating you won’t make you suck any less.” – something that many people fail to realize and understand.
With Christmas Island, Andrew Jackson Jihad have reached new heights in their musical career. Definitely their most well produced album yet, Christmas Island is the perfect blend of both the classic Andrew Jackson Jihad folk-punk sound and their new, clearly refined musicianship. Christmas Island is the Andrew Jackson Jihad album that we have been waiting for.
Run Time: 34 minutes
Rating: 4.8/5
Release Date: May 6, 2014
Track Listing:
1. “Temple Grandin”
2. “Children of God”
3. “Do, Re, and Me”
4. “Coffin Dance”
5. “Getting Naked, Playing With Guns”
6. “I Wanna Rock Out In My Dreams
7. “Kokopelli Face Tattoo”
8. “Best Friend”
9. “Linda Ronstadt”
10. “Deathlessness”
11. “Temple Grandin Too”
12. “Angel of Death”
Andrew Jackson Jihad is:
Sean Bonnette
Ben Gallaty
Preston Bryant
Deacon Batchelor
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Written by: Joe Calvi
thisislucyoutloud.wordpress.com 