call to arms

this is our punk rock. the future is unwritten. don't tell a soul. music is no fucking joke. don't believe anyone who says 'its only music'. fuck you. without music i would not be who i am today. that is a fact. it is not up for debate. i can guarantee that without 24 hour revenge therapy. without repeater. without damaged. without london calling i would not be the person that i am today and i most certainly wouldn't be the writer i am today. had i not spent my years dropping the needle then i wouldn't be screaming my own words in bedrooms, basements and more. music is important. not what's on the radio: that's business plans, marketing strategies and its funding wars worldwide. keep it. i'd rather my guitar dropped the bomb on all of you that have the money from 'music' drop real bombs and kill real people. our band could be your life. punk rock saved mine. hearing jawbreaker for the first time aged 15 changed everthing. something smashed through a door in my head jack nicolson in the shining style. he stuck his manic grinning face through the hole and nothing was the same. jawbreaker was year zero for me. the heavy metal cds went into a box into the attic as the room was filled with every type of punk rock i could find. mostly the gravelliest sounding ones or anything signed to dischord or sst. that stuff left a crater where music used to be. if you hear it abd would rather go back to james morrison, then simply you don't like music. and if you think i'm a snob for telling it like it is then FUCK YOU! this shit is for real. the underground will never disappear. we are the turntables spinning split 7"s in your bedroom. we are screaming in pub basements nationwide. we are the indie record stores, the photocopied fanzines, the distros. we are your punk rock. don't tell a soul.

best of 08

In no real order, here's my best of last year:

Off With Their Heads - From The Bottom

Minneapolis' cheeriest treat us to their first full length and my god do they sound bummmmed. It's the perfect sound to early 20s alienation and depression, I like this album because I relate to it more than I should probably admit to. Quite a few of the songs on it are just new versions of ones from the 7"s (although not from the collection "All Things Towards Their End") and sadly the excellently titled "I hate my stupid ass and hope I get in a car wreck tonight" is now just called "Wrong", it sounds even better than it did on the split though.

The Gaslight Anthem - the '59 Sound

I was late to the Gaslight Anthem party, only hearing them in summer and only really getting into them in autumn, but by christ it was worth the perseverence. I've always found that my favourite records sound their best after the first time, normally around the fourth or fifth listen. Of course there has to be something that keeps you coming back, you know you like it but damn, if you just hear it one more time its going to blow your mind. I was this way with Leatherface's Mush and I was that way with Social Distortions self titled (two of my all time favourite records). Anyway, this record fucking rocks. At first I thought I preferred Sink or Swim but over the last couple of weeks I have decided that I was wrong.

Milloy - More Than a Machine

Ah, Milloy. Apparently during the fantastic Out of Spite festival in Leeds last year I drunkenly danced so enthusiastically to this band that onlookers thought I was their biggest fan. Well they always say that a drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts and there's definitely some truth in there. This record is fantastic. Anyone who knows me knows how much I dig the gruff sound and this is exactly why. They sound like a young Leatherface (not that there's anything wrong with old Leatherface) which is probably why Frankie seems to mention them in every interview he ever does.

Dillinger Four - C I V I L W A R

If my glowing review didn't make you buy this, then get on it pronto. It's been about four months since I heard the advance leak and nothing can stop this record from being my favourite that D4 have ever released. I don't know what I can say about this that I haven't said already, just get out and fucking get it!

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

Another band I go on and on about enough. Boys and Girls in America is one of my most favourite records. I don't like this quite as much but I am still completely in love with it. In terms of lyrics, very few people hold a candle to Craig Finn right now. This is the kind of record your parents wish they had when they were young.

And that's my 5 favourite of last year. This year I would really like some Thorns of Life music, honestly, an album, a 7", even some overpriced MP3s on Itunes. I will take anything!

Here we go.

She broke up with me about 3 months ago. I moved back here so I could be closer to her. I took a shitty job so that I could see her. And it blew up. She called it a personality clash. She moved on. Why am I still thinking about her? I'm not even sure anymore. Because I'm still here.
This is where it ends I guess. My plans are in motion to get the hell out of here. To get back into the city. To reboot my life. I haven't been happy for the last wee while. I'm in my own personal prison where everything reminds me of her. Today I started the car but tomorrow the wheels will start moving. I fucking loved that girl, but she's moved on so I guess I'll have to find another girl to fucking love. I don't even know if that's the point anymore. I just need to keep busy, I need to get out of here and I need to move the fuck on. I'm 22 years old, and when I first started writing this thing I promised that I won't get like this. That was a different girl, I really cared about this one, I still do, which makes it harder because these things are far easier if you hate the person, and I really don't. I'm just going to pick myself up and carry on again. End of the month I won't even be here anymore. Maybe you'll get a best of 2008 list before I go.