Just when you thought it was safe, comes another IWB Street Dogs thread.

[IWasBored]

so, they put out a new album. came out today. it's self-titled. there are probably 2 songs on it that i actually like, neither of which even remotely stand up to 90% of the songs from the past albums.

unless UL shows up to geek out with me about it, mofo wants to remind himself of the kickassness of whichever album it was in the past that he bought, or someone new crawls out of the woodwork to discuss this/past album/their live shows, i will be talking to myself until this falls deep into the depths of bang and clatter (presumably soon, since i visit this site with such infrequency these days that i'll most likely forget as well).

i am not psyched about them re-recording "fighter."

that is all.

 

[u2popmofo]

I don't remember which I have, the one with "In Defense of Dorchester".

Random unrelated side notes: UFC was in Boston this last weekend. The camera cut to two guys from DKM out in the crowd between rounds once, which was pretty random, but also funny. I may be visiting Boston in a few months with some friends, and need touristy recommendations (as well as record store recommendations).

 

[IWasBored]

ah yes, back to the world. that's what i thought. interesting fact for you: far from finished also put out their new album today, making this the second time that they've put out an album the same day as the street dogs (that being fff's first album, and back to the world). there's another dorchester song on this album (no surprise there). it's nowhere near as good.

haha, that is rather random. i'm pissed off i bought dkm's live album. i'm pretty much sick of ever buying live albums. i don't even want to listen to it, and can't really ever see myself listening to it as i have better (album, and other live) versions of all the songs i do like that are on it, and there are too many newer songs i don't particularly dig. i had a rather impulsive moment of "oooh i need that, how did i not know it existed" when i picked up the street dogs album.

the anti-touristy stuff part of me doesn't want to (or honestly, doesn't really know where to start cos it's been over a decade since i did any touristy stuff in boston, plus not actually being from that end of the state) list any stuff. but get yo'self to a newbury comics. but you should probably talk to hewson.

 

[u2popmofo]

you should probably talk to hewson.

No, I hate Bono.

 

[IWasBored]

No, I hate Bono.

hahaha





ok, so the album is growing on me. just not used to having to have their albums grow on me.

which is kind of why i didn't pick up the far from finished album yet, i'm kinda worried about that as well.

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

I like the Live on Lansdowne album. Then again, I like the current Murphys output just as much as the early, so perhaps it's not fair. It's not quite as raw as the first live album, but I think it's damn good. I could have lived without "Time to Go," but the deluxe edition from iTunes is fantastic with "Wheel of Misfortune," "10 Years of Service" and "Shattered" added among others.

As for this thread, I was going to make it if you didn't. I've only had the chance to listen to it once, but I like it pretty well. I think our tastes also diverge with regard to the Street Dogs catalog - I think both of the first two albums are solid, but I'd take Fading American Dream and large portions ("San Patricios," "Guns," "The General's Boombox")of State of Grace over the other two.

I think my only complaint with the self-titled so far is that the songs lack distinction and kind of run together. That may change on repeat listens, though. As for rerecording "Fighter"; I don't see the point. I'm not upset by it, really, but it's not like this is a drastically different arrangement. Of all the songs to revisit - why this one?

 

[IWasBored]

that's why i'm not psyched about re-recording "fighter," because i really don't get the reasoning for it. particularly after hearing it, because like you said it's not very different at all. maybe 5 or 6 small differences..."this chorus is still for you," the "hats" in "hats off" is audible, and a couple different notes in the vocals are different? there's the slight difference in marcus h-something's guitars vs. rob ican'trememberhislastnameeither, but that's been there since between the first and second albums. there's really no point. but i can't whine about it being filler, because there are still 17 other songs on the album.

you're definitely right about how our tastes divergence, "guns" and "san patricios" are the two street dogs songs i really dislike. actually, i don't care for "sell your lies" very much, either. i pretty much wear a sign on my chest that says i'm always going to prefer the most standard, predictable street punk anthems. my favorite songs on state of grace: two angry kids, kevin j o'toole, the general's boombox. yes, i like free, and the title track a lot too, but i'm going to take jakes or fighter over those two any day. yes, i am aware that this makes me a little more close-minded, but at least i admit it, right?

i'd actually say it's a toss-up between savin hill and fading american dream being my favorite. savin hill really isn't the same band, back to the world was still kind of transition between the incarnation of the band that put out savin hill and the one that put out FAD. and the changes in line-up between fading american dream/state of grace/the new one are joe sirois vs. paul rucker which isn't enough that that they can't all kind of fit together in my mind. fading american dream is an incredibly solid album. occasionally i'll skip "sell your lies," but if i'm going to listen to anything on that album, it's almost always cover to cover.

between starting this thread yesterday and replying in it now, i have 1) listened to the new album a couple more times. i forget that back to the world had to grow on me in parts, and it actually wasn't til a bus ride home from boston after a show that i really got into 75% of it. a few spins while driving up yesterday and i'm feeling a little more forgiving. there are things i like. i do agree about stuff blending together, and while i was listening to the an internet stream last week that really rubbed me the wrong way. especially since the crappy quality made the drums too incredibly obvious. um, they're almost identical in every single song. same tempo with everything being played at essentially the same speed, a lot less of a distinction between the occasional old school-ish hardcore song vs. street punk anthem vs. token slow song make-up that every single past SD album has had to some degree, and i feel like they tried to combat that a little with some ill-placed tempo changes in a few songs, but 2) this is all very benign compared to what far from finished did on their new album. i don't even want to discuss that mess. aside from that little fun fact about BTTW and the first FFF album being released on the same day back in....2005? yeah that sounds about right...you have many other similarities. guitar players (rob stillcantrememeberhislastname from the first SD album, also on the first FFF album), that whole boston-based street punk thing, both bands playing multiple shows together (one of which i actually made it to), the street dogs have evolved a bit and haven't been doing straight up standard anthemic stuff on every song on every album, and FFF did the same thing on living in the fallout, in a similar kind of way really. but FFF's new...coffee mug coaster...i don't know happened. i don't even want to know what happened.

 

[IWasBored]

did you think there was a chance i wouldn't post something about it?

 

[u2popmofo]

I've never understood why punk bands think it's ok to re-record songs and place them on albums. The worst example I can think of was on The Explosion's second full length album, they had a re-recorded version of a song from their first full length album.

WTF?

 

[IWasBored]

I've never understood why punk bands think it's ok to re-record songs and place them on albums. The worst example I can think of was on The Explosion's second full length album, they had a re-recorded version of a song from their first full length album.

WTF?

yeah, i don't get it either. never saw a reason for the ducky boys putting "i'll rise up" both the first and second albums, the loved ones doubled up on a couple things from the EP and first album...it doesn't happen all the time, but it happens way more than i'll ever understand.

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

I like all the songs you mentioned from State of Grace as well. I really just love the album all-around. Other SD fans make me feel dirty for it, though.

 

[IWasBored]

oh, those idiots who only like savin hill? i think they're the same idiots that say they only like do or die. i'm going to get lumped into the category with them on this far from finished thing because if you read around the internets they're also the same people that were fans of the first couple FFF records, and i'm assuming they're the ones raging against the new one. i like a lot of different stuff, i don't only listen to one kind of punk rock, and i might not even hate some of the stuff on that album had it been released by a band going by another name that just happened to have some guys from FFF in the line-up. but i'm kind of funny that way as far as line-up changes vs. keeping same band names goes.

state of grace is a solid album, i just don't like those two songs so i skip them when i listen to it. i can't call an album bad if i only dislike 2 of 11 songs, but for me it doesn't stand up to the others because all three of them i love cover to cover (minus "Sell your lies," but everything else on that album is so awesome that it makes up for that one song being less than stellar). i'm just guilty of holding this band to pretty high standards since i thought the first three were so great. i'd put "two angry kids" up against any song of theirs, i friggin love that song.

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

Thought I'd share the tracklist of the mix I made to keep in my office. I tried to include five songs from each album, with six from State of Grace, and added the "War After the War" single. I'd like to have included "Stand Up" instead of "Boston Breakout," but I made the concession to make it fit. I couldn't cut any more from State. I'm sure my choices from the self-titled will change over time.

1. Declaration
2. Punk Rock and Roll
3. The General's Boombox
4. In Defense of Dorchester
5. Fighter (original)
6. Not Without a Purpose
7. Two Angry Kids
8. Bobby Powers
9. You Alone
10. Rattle and Roll
11. A State of Grace
12. Back to the World
13. War After the War
14. Final Transmission
15. San Patricios
16. Tale of Mass Deception
17. Fading American Dream
18. Savin Hill
19. 10 Wood Rd.
20. Tobe's Got a Drinking Problem
21. 2 Bottles
22. Strike a Blow
23. Into the Valley
24. Boston Breakout
25. Up the Union
26. Kevin J. O'Toole
27. There is Power in a Union

 

[IWasBored]

now i wanna make a list

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

Listmaking is a compulsion. I started my PhD program three weeks ago and my listmaking has increased tenfold.

 

[IWasBored]

lists

all the "mixes" i've made lately have been restriction-less ipod messes. i really miss mix tapes.

 

[u2popmofo]

I've been thinking it would be funny to make people legitimate mix tapes so they have to go out and buy a tape player to actually listen to them.

 

[IWasBored]

I've been thinking it would be funny to make people legitimate mix tapes so they have to go out and buy a tape player to actually listen to them.

i still own a tape player.

and a vcr!

 

[u2popmofo]

i still own a tape player.

and a vcr!

Friggin' hippies.

 

[IWasBored]

yes, with our out-dated technologies and long hair...wtf is that all about?

i'm still watching tv on the 13inch non-flatscreen cube i bought for 40 bucks 7 or 8 years ago...i really can't justify buying a new tv when this one still works and i could always just go watch shit in the living room on our 73" beast.

 

[IWasBored]

here we go.

1. Savin Hill
2. Cutdown on the 12th
3. You Alone
4. 2 Bottles
5. Tale of Mass Deception
6. In Defense of Dorchester
7. Rattle and Roll
8. Up the Union
9. There is Power in a Union
10. The General's Boombox
11. Declaration
12. Not Without a Purpose
13. Kevin J. O'Toole
14. Stagger
15. 2 Angry Kids
16. Punk Rock and Roll
17. Fading American Dream
18. Jakes
19. Common People
20. Fighter
21. Shards of Life
22. Katie Bar the Door
23. Yesterday
24. Back to the World
25. Patrick
26. Hard Luck Kid
27. Oh Father
28. A State of Grace
29. In Stereo
30. Drink Tonight
31. Free

90 min of pure street dogs-y goodness, iwb-style. yeah, there were a couple savin hill tracks i had to cut, i really wanted "where it ends," "last call," and "modern day labor anthem" on here, as well as an assortment of other songs from most of the albums (stirke a blow, into the valley, elizabeth, and a few more). but in the interest of playing by UL's vague parameters of keeping it kind of balanced, they didn't make the list. no big deal, really, because the songs i put on there from the new album i really, really fucking like. and actually, i'm finding i think it's a pretty solid album. way better than my initial reaction. in defense of dorchester is still the classic "hometown anthem"-theme song for me, and rattle and roll doesn't even come close--something i think is made even more glaringly apparent putting them back to back, but i kind of thought they needed to be like that. kind of like how it had to start with savin hill, and then cutdown couldn't go anywhere but right after.

common people is supposed to start side 2 if this was on a tape, and katie bar the door end the first. shards and fighter at the very least would probably have to be moved, but until i get a tape player with a record button (because i'm down to just a walkman since the recorder/player i got for my 8th birthday finally shit the bed. it was truly a sad day when that happened, let me tell you. that thing took so much abuse) that consideration will have to be purely hypothetical.

oh yeah, and it should really just go without saying that the version of fighter is the original. i still see no reason whatsoever for them re-recording that.

and i have a confession to make. i never did pick up the "war after the war" mp3. i've heard it, but i still need to get that. i'm a bad fan.

edit: hmmm...."bobby powers" is about 6 different kinds of awesome. ok, swap out shards for that...and we come to the problem that all my lists always eventually develop. that whole way that they have of changing 5 minutes after i make them.

 

[IWasBored]

gonna keep talking to myself for now. it's official, the new album has grown on me. i'm thinking it's more solid as an album than state of grace or back to the world. probably a few things on a song-by-song basis i'd take on either of those two over a lot of the new one, but i really fucking like it right now.

i'm skipping "formation" ever time. although i like how it's a little more ominous than rallying. i'd be really bummed out if i felt compelled to liken it to "cadence to arms." and i'm pretty psyched about the way rattle & roll/up the union bleed into each other. punk rock n roll is great, but that was the first really positive thing i had to say about the album a couple weeks ago. heart on the sleeve cheesiness at its finest. yesterday is just plain catchy. bobby powers, as well. like i said. 6 kinds of awesome. in stereo, too. and hang em high. i thought ghosts was interesting before, when i thought everything sounded the same a couple weeks ago, because at least that song didn't. oh father is great. poor, poor jimmy ends the album just find. harpo and portalnd are the only things i really could take or leave right now.

oh, how i want to call out of work sunday night to drive out to pawtucket to see them. i really might do that.


and i suck for not getting the version (or being aware of it til now) with the bonus tracks on it. that's what i get for picking the thing up at best buy.

so i got on itunes to spend the buck whatever on "war after the war." somehow ended up linked to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW1Luz4rBxg&feature=related off something i clicked. watching it thinking damn, that dude looks awfully familiar. oh yeah. i used to post on his message board, back around when savin hill came out. hell, thanks to that guy i heard squared off, born to lose, flatfoot 56, and a handful of other bands. http://web.archive.org/web/20050130145917/http://hooligansunion.com/ it's long-gone, pretty sure sometime around when he joined the army, yes. too bad the board isn't pull-up-able. i thought the internet was forever? how come i can't cringe at the stuff i may have posted back in 2005? i guess if i wanted to embarrass myself i could just do a little digging on here, and find some old posts from when i frequented pleba i'm curious how much nervous bravado was in my review of the murphy's law show i temporarily got thrown out of when i was 19