Bouncing Souls

[u2popmofo]

IWB (or anyone else who may be a fan), have you heard the new album yet? I'm interested in your opinion. I have sorta mixed feelings on it. They seem to have gone with a vastly different production / mix for the sound, so it almost has more in common sound-wise with some present day mainstream radio metal / rock type stuff. Don't get me wrong, it sounds like the Bouncing Souls, and I can't blame them for trying to make the sound a little more contemporary, but it's a little jarring and hard to get used to.

There are actually some really good songs on the album, but there are also a few that are some of the worst BS songs I can think of. The rest I'm not sure what to think. I don't really dislike or like them, which I think is partly due to the sound change. I have pretty mixed feelings on it at this point, not sure what I think.

 

[u2popmofo]

I was interested to see what reviews have said, and it looks like others feel the same. I particularly agree with his final statements. There's nothing really bad about the album, but there's nothing particularly great about it either. I just feel really indifferent towards a good percentage of it.

Punknews.org | Bouncing Souls - Comet

As a Bouncing Souls superfan, I will go to bat for just about anything the band has released up this point. Those first seven records are essential, life-affirming listening for punk fans. Heck, “Kid” was my high school yearbook quote. But even I can admit that the band has had somewhat of a creative backslide as of late. The single series that became Ghost on the Boardwalk yielded some great tunes, and even flashes of the band’s old humor, but as an overall record, it came off a little homogenous. Follow-up Comet is a lot of firsts for the band: First for Rise Records, first time recording with Bill Stevenson and, unfortunately, the first disappointing Souls album.

The Souls have been gradually shifting away from punk rock since The Gold Record. That is to say, Gold and Comet’s best tracks are the least punk (“The Pizza Song,” “So Jersey,” the covers for the former; “Coin Toss Girl,” “Ship in a Bottle” for the latter). I actually wouldn’t mind hearing the Souls pursue that path more, if only because it would allow the band to expand its scope.

When the Souls stick to what’s worked before, they kind of rip themselves off a bit. Opener “Baptized” recuts the intro to Anchors Aweigh’s “Blind Date.” “Static” sings about the radio for the umpteenth time. “We Love Fun” repeats the same word over and over until it loses all meaning, just like “Badass,” only not nearly as awesome.

But then a track like “Coin Toss Girl” will come on and just sound effortlessly catchy and fun. It also briefly pulls a Misfits out of nowhere (“I think I’d like to marry her / I think I’d like to bury her”). Comet finds the band occasionally trying to return to its faster style, but honestly, I’m OK with the Souls slowing down as they approach middle age.

Comet isn’t a terrible album. It doesn’t contain any embarrassing lows, but it also doesn’t have any soul-lifting highs either. Rather, it has a couple of tracks I wouldn’t mind hearing live (and really, it’s not like Ghosts ever penetrated the band’s live set too deeply, so I doubt this will impact their shows in either direction). It doesn’t taint my memories of the band. But after writing this review, I doubt I’ll think about it much, and I’ve never felt that way about a Souls record before.

 

[IWasBored]

IWB (or anyone else who may be a fan), have you heard the new album yet? I'm interested in your opinion. I have sorta mixed feelings on it. They seem to have gone with a vastly different production / mix for the sound, so it almost has more in common sound-wise with some present day mainstream radio metal / rock type stuff. Don't get me wrong, it sounds like the Bouncing Souls, and I can't blame them for trying to make the sound a little more contemporary, but it's a little jarring and hard to get used to.

There are actually some really good songs on the album, but there are also a few that are some of the worst BS songs I can think of. The rest I'm not sure what to think. I don't really dislike or like them, which I think is partly due to the sound change. I have pretty mixed feelings on it at this point, not sure what I think.

Oh. Hmm. Um. Huh.


Yeah...I still haven't heard it yet.

 

[u2popmofo]

You should. There still are 4 or 5 great songs on it, and it's worth it just to hear for yourself and see what they were trying to go for. Again, it's really not a bad album by any means, it's just sorta weird to hear so many tracks that really don't sound how you expect them to.

 

[IWasBored]

Oh, I will eventually. It's still the soulies. And that's the reason I haven't heard it yet, because I hate ordering things online I'm ordering a bunch of things all at once, and they're a band whose album I want a real copy of rather than digital. Even if it's not that good.

 

[u2popmofo]

That's the weird thing, I actually like around half the songs on the album quite a bit. That's probably a higher percentage than some of their early albums, but I still seem somewhat disappointed in it. Makes no sense.

 

[IWasBored]

That's the weird thing, I actually like around half the songs on the album quite a bit. That's probably a higher percentage than some of their early albums, but I still seem somewhat disappointed in it. Makes no sense.

Probably because the last three (not counting ghosts on the boardwalk, which I still don't really consider an actual album) were so good. I know what you mean about some of the early stuff. Maybe it's just because I wasn't a fan til hopeless romantic came out, but that's just seemed to me the point where they started putting out really solid stuff. I'll take anything off anchors over whose gonna throw the toilet out the window or shark attack, although I realize that's blasphemy in some circles. And we don't even need to get into how much I love ...summer vacation.

 

[cobl04]

Ok, this is the only Bouncing Souls thread I could find. Talk about old!!!

Only eight years ago...

 

[IWasBored]

Haha, I just read through the entire thread because I like to see if I've embarrassed myself with stuff I said on the Internet several years ago. I still very clearly remember almost all those times I had tickets to see the band and rides bailed/i couldnt get to whatever town for whatever reason. Now, I'd never sound as excited about anything as I think I did in a few of those posts, and I've skipped souls shows (as well as a ton of other bands) just because I've seen them before (although only twice) and I'm burnt out on driving to places more than a few miles up the road. But then again, I'm pretty burnt out on most things in general. I also don't care enough anymore to pick the kind of fight about "warped tour punk rock" that I surprisingly did not pick with zoots. Gone is still one of the best soulies songs, and quite possibly one of my favorite songs of all time. Not sick of that, though.

 

[u2popmofo]

Ha, I re-read the vast majority of it too. Good times. I swear we had other threads or talked about them elsewhere though, seemed strange Yertle only had one or two posts in the thread. Probably in the Now Playing thread (when it was more like the Random Music thread), Soulseek, AIM, or something.

I still haven't seen them live! They're coming here in July though, and I'm planning on going. I really have to see them live while they're still touring and decent (and hopefully not playing the entirety of the new album....).

Then again, I actually quite like about 60% or more of the new album now though, so I probably wouldn't mind if they played some of those tracks. I think the album is worth buying for the last two tracks alone.

 

[IWasBored]

Oh wow...soulseek. Totally forgot about that.

Yeah, I'm surprised this was the only thread that turned up. Remember the band index? That was kind of awesome. and I'd still put money on yertle being the only kid from Singapore to ever call the umass amherst radio station and request a song. Ah, the good old days.

I'd assume I saw them on the gold tour and something in support of ghosts, but my recollections of the setlists were that they mixed up stuff from all the albums that I'm going on time frame to figure out what album they must have been supporting at the time. I do want to say they did something with kids & heroes that I wasn't overly fond of at the Connecticut show, maybe acoustic or something I can't remember exactly. otherwise, it was exactly what I'd expect. Not the most mind-blowing awesome concert ever, but just really solid tunes that rock.

There was a list a few pages back of all the lyrics about music-listening, and I still have never found another band that consistently mentions how listening to music that makes you feel something is.

 

[IWasBored]

Once I realized my japandroids error and went to purchase the correct album, I decided oh what the hell, I'll just digitally purchase this album. I think what's missing most is the handful of songs I always immediately love on first listen. All previous souls albums have had those. That was my biggest gripe with the last street dogs album, and i havent listened to that at all since it came out. A lot of pieces of what have made other songs great are here, but none of them ever quite get there. "in sleep" is probably the only thing indicative of the direction they'd been going in the past few records, and aside from coin toss girl and the one that reminded me of old school tiger army, its pretty much the only song i really like thst much. On the whole it feels about as memorable as ghosts on the boardwalk, which as I've mentioned several times is not at all. Most of it isnt bad, just stagnant and boring. DFA and we love fun are terrible. The closing track's extreme lack of enthusiasm (shit, I can hear how to change it into a rocking and give it almost gone-like epicness) reminds me of what I believe they did to kids & heroes last time I saw them and I am not digging that at all. I'll give a few more listens, but unless I drastically change my opinion I don't think it will get much playing time when I have several much, much better albums to throw on when I'm in the mood for some soulies.

 

[IWasBored]

The one that sounds like old school tiger army....that would be infidel. I should probably clarify since it probably only sounds like that in my head, such is the way those comparisons usually go. Dammit, that reminds me I still wanted to get that nick 13 album, it wasnt half bad.

The sad part is I think I like the first track off the Matt Skiba & the sekrets album better than anything off comet.

 

[u2popmofo]

The last two tracks are far and away my favs. I haven't listened to this in a while, so I guess it hasn't exactly had much staying power with me either, haha. I am planning on finally seeing them live later this month though, so I'll have to do some listening coming up.

Does the production sound strange to you? That was the most jarring thing for me. Now that I know what to expect, I really don't mind the album. It's no worse than a number of their previous ones in terms of consistency (they only have 2 or 3 that I love start to finish), and there are a number of songs I enjoy quite a bit when I hear them.

 

[IWasBored]

Maybe it is the production. I'm not sure if I'd attribute what is weird about the album to the production if you hadn't said anything, though. It is definetly different, but for me it seems most of the songs are just a half a hook or a chorus away from being memorable catchy songs, which is something the souls have always delivered in spades. I'm not saying they have to put put nothing but anthemic punk rock songs, because at would be ridiculous. I'd still like a couple of them from time to time, but I can respect any band that's been around as long as they have changing things a bit. Except that this album doesn't really go anywhere new. The last track, a mellowed out more acoustic- leaning track is fine when done like some of their past songs like that, but it doesn't work for me here. They just come off as boring, and sound like they were either a strong bass line, a guitar riff, or decent bridge away from ever getting there.

 

[IWasBored]

Crap, I had a couple other things to add that I thought of when I went outside for a smoke, and now I forgot what I was going to say. I don't actually have any animosity toward the album, I just find it kind of dull. I agree, there are only a couple I listen to start to finish, but the others that I don't have some incredible songs I do go back to, and this album seems to have none of that immediately.

 

[u2popmofo]

Yeah, I entirely agree with your feelings. Especially about DFA and We Love Fun being terrible. Painfully terrible. I'm not sure if I can remember actively disliking any two BS songs this much previously.

I really love the last two songs though, especially In Sleep.

 

[IWasBored]

Nah, even songs of theirs I haven't been overly fond of haven't been as bad as those two. So maybe I do have a little bit of animosity...however, I've been listening to the gold record more lately, and if anything comet just reminded me how remarkably solid (if that sounded almost like a pun, I assure you it was not intended) that album was.

I'd still go see them live, of course. And I'm sure you'll have a good time when you do.

 

[IWasBored]

In sleep is good. And I do dig infidel (because i like tiger army/epitaph during their heyday records so cal punk rock), poor song sandwiched between dfa and we love fun) coin toss girl as well. In sleep is really good, the other two are just alright. I don't really see myself warming up to the rest of the album, though.