Jazz Funeral

Brandon Kelly has released a short film leading up to the release for his new solo album. Check out the short film below by clicking “Read More.”

It would seem some 15 or so years after its conception and with the advent of bands like Design the Skyline, the last angsty, mascara-black tear has been wrung out of screamo; clearly, alt-scene veterans Silverstein got that memo. At just over 19 minutes and with eleven out of 22 songs old-school punk and hardcore covers (imaginatively culled, in this reviewer’s opinion, from Steve Albini’s wet-dream-fantasy-all-star-basement-show roster of the scene’s most groundbreaking and influential bands), it almost seems like Short Songs was written and recorded with music critics in mind—almost. Silverstein’s latest effort is hard-hitting and fresh, yet tinged with unapologetic nostalgia and notions of, dare we say, the kind of proto-musical education and understanding in which many fans today are ostensibly lacking.

Short Songs is not for the weak of heart or constitution. Starting out with “Sick As Your Secrets” and blazing through ten more originals, none of which cross the two-minute mark, the entire first half of the record is one ADD-addled, frenetic, furious gut-blow after another. For the most part, Silverstein’s eleven originals aren’t too emphatic on sounding especially original in terms of tone or musical notions. Instead and perhaps more importantly, the band looks backwards in terms of drawing influence. For example, one can easily pick up on the old-school pop-punk notions of “Brookfield” or the obvious pit calls in “SOS.” Most are of these cuts are intense and fast-paced, meant to shine in a live setting where the demand for a circle pit or a bout of two-stepping is undeniable.

Minnesota’s Now, Now (formerly Now, Now Every Children) have existed for some time but have really begun to generate a significant amount of buzz in the indie world since signing to Chris Walla’s (Death Cab For Cutie) Trans Records. The first single off their upcoming album Threads, “Dead Oaks,” is a short, sweet indie-pop gem that is infectiously catchy while keeping things incredibly simple, both musically and lyrically.

Clocking in at a modest one minute, forty-one seconds, “Dead Oaks” is unassuming in its lack of sophistication. The cut starts with some soft, palm-muted acoustic guitar riffing and a cutesy vocal line with coy, romantically-inclined lyrical work. After the first verse, some lo-fi percussion and lead guitar accompany the vocals, which benefit from some pop backing harmonies, as well. The song continues hinge around pop nuance with a healthy dose of “oh-oh’s” and tambourine shaking, then halts abruptly, everything ceasing, save for the same lone acoustic riff that started the song.

Yo, VV, I’m really happy that you’ve decided to run this article about the controversy of unpaid internships, but you should probably also ‘fess up and disclose that most of your interns are unpaid, and that you often require college credit for said internships. Which is a practice that this article calls into question. Just saying. 

On a personal note, my patience for unpaid internships unraveled after I worked as an unpaid video intern at an organization where I was the only person on staff who actually knew anything about video editing. I was teaching my boss how to do things in Final Cut. And that’s when I realized that unpaid internships are, for the most part, bullshit. 

The Exclamation Comma. “Just because you’re excited about something doesn’t mean you have to end the sentence.”

That’s true.