Fall Out Boy punk out on "Love, Sex, Death"

Fall Out Boy get back to business with their super energetic music video on Rolling Stone for their new punk song "Love, Sex, Death," the first digital single, has been described as a fiery slab of early-80s punk and early '90s hardcore, from the Chicago pop-punk quartet's upcoming new album "Pax Am Days," to be released on October 15th via Island and will become the band's second release in 2013 after the comeback album "Save Rock and Roll," and marks a return to their hardcore musical roots with aggressive guitar work.
Before becoming A-list pop stars due to factors musical and non-musical, Fall Out Boy was ostensibly a punk band. But since crossing over with 2005's "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" and maybe even before that, they've never released a song that so wholly embraces the canonical ideal of punk rock as much as "Love, Sex, Death," the one minute and 24 seconds of knuckle-dragging hardcore bombast they kicked out today. And which producer coaxed all this aggression out of them? None other than noted punk/metal enthusiast Ryan Adams, who's been indulging his own punk proclivities lately.
"Love, Sex, Death" is a rollicking bit of hardcore fury and showcases Chicago rockers' two-day studio session at Adams' Pax Am Studios in Los Angeles. As band's bassist Pete Wentz told earlier last month, the track showcases influences from Misfits, Black Flag and other late '70s and early '80s punk bands. Wentz called it the "antithesis" of Save Rock and Roll, and based on the aggressive guitar work on "Love, Sex, Death," that's exactly what we can look forward to. If "Love, Sex, Death" is indicative of the rest of the set, "Pax Am Days" will be quite the contrast to Save Rock And Roll's hyper-glossy emo jock jams.
The clip for "Love, Sex, Death" is as raw as you can get: a fast-paced supercut of footage shot by the band members themselves on tour over the summer. The raw video shows the rockers at their most punk, their stripped-down instrumentation and curt lyrics adding up to an Eighties-style screed that reflects the overall tone of the record. "These are cave paintings, scrawled to just let the world know we were here. This video is made up of footage we shot ourselves on our worldwide tour in the summer of 2013," Wentz tells Rolling Stone.

Hot Water Music carrying on in "Drag My Body"

Just in time for their national headline tour, revered Florida punk rock band Hot Water Music has unveiled a new video for their single, "Drag My Body." This track, along with twelve others, can be found on their current eighth full-length album in nearly two decades, "Exister," which is Florida punks' first album since 2004 and was released back in May via Rise Records. The band starts a tour in Tampa on January 16 with La Dispute and The Menzingers.

This rock foursome, which was formed back in 1993, has been a staple of the music scene for many years. Fans may see this as a sudden return for the group, however they only pressed pause in 2006, to pursue individual projects. Overall, the break worked; two years later, Hot Water Music reconvened to perform live, with a few shows involving into many, firing at full capacity for this new phase of their career.
"Drag My Body," is the first track from the record, and it finds the quartet returning to their roots in aggressive, emotionally volatile music. "Sooner or later we all inevitably hit a wall, and lose steam and find ourselves in the vortex of self-inflicted torment," says frontman Chuck Ragan. "'Drag My Body' is a simple story of finding oneself at a point of no return, at the end of a rope and teetering on the edge of madness with the realities of failure looming. Just as well realizing the capabilties of pulling oneself up from those obstructions and simply carrying on."
Considering the band's emotional and anthemic amp-cranker, it only makes sense that the video is a bit of a heart-tugger too. Directed by Josh Hegard and shot in Silverlake, California, the clip shows the band playing in the bar where a fight breaks out between biker-like individuals, as an old barfly trying to make ends meet selling art on the street and blood at a clinic. He favours a local tavern that clearly doesn't want him there, with a young bartender scribbling the message "go away bum" on a napkin before shoving it under his nose. Despite this, he keeps over-tipping the gal with his accumulated hundos, which serves to make the girl rightfully feel like shit once she connects the dots. It's dark but reflects well on the song.

Green Day reveal "The Forgotten" from 'Twilight'

Featuring never-before-soon footage from the upcoming "Twilight" saga film finale, "Breaking Dawn - Part 2," Green Day released its vamptastic video on MTV exclusively Tuesday for the soundtrack song, "The Forgotten," the first anthem off the film's forthcoming soundtrack, which is a moody ballad reminiscent of the brooding love scenes between Bella and Edward, also appears on the band's upcoming album "¡Tre!," set to release December 11, while the movie plays in theaters Stateside on November 16.
Kicking off on piano, musically "The Forgotten" slow things down a little for the trio with the vampire meets pop-punk video showing off the softer side of the Bay Area punk band. Billie Joe Armstrong sings over a swelling string section and strident piano chords. The power ballad in the vein of past Green Day hits from "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" to "Wake Me Up When September Ends," with a emotion-packed tender vocal performance by frontman and heavy words about not looking away from the arms of a moment.
"The Forgotten" arrives soon after the band's announcement that it's canceled live dates through the end of 2012 and postponed shows previously scheduled for January and February, due to Armstrong's ongoing treatment. Perhaps his obligations there are why the new song's music video feels so tossed-off. "When we were asked to be part of the soundtrack, we readily agreed because the films are an insane cultural phenomenon," bassist Mike Dirnt said in a release. "We have always been impressed with the way the Twilight soundtracks are so carefully curated."
"The Forgotten" clip was the band's first dive into the extremely popular "Twilight Saga" series. In the clip, the raw images of the legendary punk trio recording, performing to massive crowds and just hanging out, is intertwined with footage from the film, giving fans their first look inside Bella's newfound vampire world. Green Day's soft, dreamy ballad touches on the nightmarish battle the Cullens now face -- yet the video shows no evidence of the war they are waging. Instead, all visuals from the film focus on Bella's fascinating new perspective and the love she shared with her new family.

The Gaslight Anthem Released "Handwritten"

New Jerseys finest, The Gaslight Anthem, a.k.a. Bruce Springsteen's favorite new band, return this Summer with a powerful new video for the title track "Handwritten," from quartet's upcoming fourth full-length release and major-label debut, will be released tomorrow. The track is one of the best songs on the album, the guitar overlay in the interlude to the chorus is amazing, it's a perfect example of The Gaslight Anthem sound and such a beautiful use of a simple harmony.
The Jersey four-piece indie rockers have paved the way in their hometown's notorious rock 'n' roll flavor with a refreshing sense of honesty, and replete with manly yearning and stymied loves, there is something inevitable about how much former punks The Gaslight Anthem sound like Bruce Springsteen. "Handwritten," takes them further away from their independent "punk Springsteen" roots into Boss-sized would-be stadium rock with a nod to Celtic-influenced Brit rockers Big Country and the Alarm.
When a songwriter reflects the raw and brittle shade to his honesty, it becomes difficult to resist what he has to say and like so many composers before him, the lead vocals Brian Fallon's heart has its scars and band-aids and the way it bleeds is truly magnetic. "Handwritten" isn't as nostalgic as The Gaslight Anthem's earlier discog and that's because through a more immediate supply of fleshed out rock anthems, the New Jersey collective put a focus on tearing out emotions from memories and putting them to words, chords and rhythms.
Drummer Benny Horowitz came up with the concept of the cyclical tale of a record's life cycle and focuses on how it can mean the world to someone while being just a piece of junk to another. In the Kevin Slack-directed clip, a musician takes a song he came up with from the garage to the stage one evening where a young couple in the audience enthusiastically embraces the track. After getting such a strong reaction, the song is pressed into a record, which the girl later finds in the record store and buys for her boyfriend with a note sharing how much that moment in time meant to them.

Rise Against Pay Tribute To Fans In "Satellite"

Veteran punk rockers Rise Against have just debuted the video for "Satellite," the the third and follow-up single to "Make it Stop" from their most recent sixth studio album "Endgame," which was released back in March of this year. The punk outfit know that without their fans, success would not be a reality. And their latest for "Satellite" takes a much less serious path.
Rise Against have never been afraid to provoke with their lyrics, and this song finds vocalist Tim McIlrath crying: "We can't feel the heat until you hold your hand over the flame and you won't find the beat until you lose yourself in it." McIlrath told Spin magazine: "For a band that has always been against popular opinion and been thrown into the world of popular music - it goes without saying our opinions will ruffle feathers."
The video, which was directed by Marc Klasfeld, is dedicated to the loyal fans that have stuck by Chicago straight-edgers Rise Against throughout their entire career. It takes a look at the band's tour from all angles on stage, backstage, and even from the fans' perspective. The band talked about the idea and inspiration behind the video saying: "We finished our new video for the song 'Satellite' and can't wait to share with you because, well, it's about you, our incredible fans! As soon as we started playing this song live this year, it was amazing to see the audience react, come alive, and go nuts. So we thought that this video should be just that, pure and simple."
The clip opens with behind-the-scenes footage of Rise Against and their life on the road. Shots display production crews setting up the stage, the band soundchecking and people waiting in line for the show to begin. The music video is done very well and I like the profile shots of fans near the end. The tribute has been in the works for some time according to the band. I've seen a lot of behind-the-scenes videos shot while the band is on tour. This is simply one of the best. It's about Rise Against and their fans, nothing more. The video’s simplicity is elegant and powerful.

Rise Against 'make it stop(september's children)'

If you only catch one music video premiere this summer let it be this one. Punk rock band Rise Against has released a gripping new anti-bullying themed video for their single "Make It Stop (September's children)," the third song taken from band's latest sixth release, "Endgame," which debuted at No.2 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart. The video was created in support "It Gets Better" campaign, which has sparked an outpouring of encouraging YouTube videos in a virtual support network for bullied teens.
Rise Against is well known for lending their voice to causes as well as their close relationship to their fans. The punk rock band doesn't avoid singing about hot-button topics. Throughout its decade of music-making, the Chicago-based group has taken some very public stands on issues ranging from the American military engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan to climate change, even extending its music activism to the meat-processing industry. So the new video isn't entirely surprising. The anti-bullying anthem is dedicated to a string of teens who committed suicide in fall 2010 as a result of homophobic bullying in their communities.
"Rock culture is a sort of hyper-masculine place, and a lot of bands were unsure what to do about that. I hope that what we've done is spread this message to other bands in our scene. The song came out of a wake-up call from Rise Against's fans," the band' frontman Tim McIlrath said McIlrath said. The song and the video closes with McIlrath reading a list of names of teens who committed suicide as a result of homophobic bullying. It's a powerful moment that the band hadn't originally planned.
Directed by Award-winning director Marc Klasfeld, the video was filmed at Rolling Meadows High School, where McIlrath went to school. The video depicts the band performing the song in the gymnasium alongside moving scenes, which follows the struggles of three gay teens in a high school in suburban Chicago. All three consider killing themselves after being bullied by their classmates, but ultimately decide to try and work through their pain and keep an eye on the promises of the future. The result is a powerful clip that tackles these issues in a real and inspirational way.

Green Day Debut "Last Of The American Girls"

As promised by the band, the alternative rock trio Green Day's back and debuted the video on MTV for "Last of the American Girls," a standout track on band's eighth studio project "21st Century Breakdown." The song was released as the fifth single to follow up to the title track of the album, and is a great '60s-inflected, straight-ahead slice of power pop. It makes you want to put on your go-go boots and dance. Green Day must have been inspired by turning their Grammy-winning "American Idiot" into a Broadway musical, because the video for their newest mid-tempo rock ditty single is kind of 'all' jazz hands and box steps. After all, it's probably the most theatrical and retro-leaning song on the album, a sort of revved-up take on something from "Bye Bye Birdie" or "West Side Story." And the video directed by frequent collaborator Marc Webb, the same person who helmed the band's other videos, is in much the same style.
Since the band's latest album is a concept effort, this music video is also featuring the story of Gloria who is played by actress Lisa Stelly, and her boyfriend Christian. Put as the titular character, Gloria is portrayed as a bored girl doing routines before she found out pleasure in blowing things up. Gloria's boyfriend is not featured in this new video, but Gloria appears to have relocated her remaining possessions to the desert, where she is living a glamorously desultory life, complete with television and manicure supplies. Then she decides to blow up her car. Also, there are blond go-go dancers/American Apparel employees following her every move, while the ageless Billie Joe Armstrong and his punk band friends stand nearby and serenade her individuality. At clip's end, as flames erupt from the hood of the vehicle, she cracks a satisfied smile. The narrative is wrapped about a performance by the band, which, by this point, is pretty standard issue for Green Day.
The bassist Dirnt has expressed his belief that "Last of the American Girls" was written about lead vocalist Armstrong's wife Adrienne, who he claimed is steadfast in her beliefs and assertively defends them. Out of all the post-Nirvana alternative bands to break into the pop mainstream, the California based rock trio were second only to Pearl Jam in terms of influence. At their core, Green Day were simply punk revivalists who recharged the energy of speedy, catchy three-chord punk-pop songs. Rolling Stone states the band bridge the gap between their punk-rock operas and their upcoming American Idiot Broadway musical. The band has sold over 22 million records in the US. They have won three Grammy Awards, Best Alternative Album for "Dookie," Best Rock Album for "American Idiot," and Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."

Alkaline Trio Returns With "This Addiction"

The Chicago-based punk rock band Alkaline Trio is back, and just as good as ever. They have released their new music video online for the lead single and title track taken from their forthcoming long awaited seventh studio album "This Addiction," the inaugural release via Epitaph, which is due for release in February 23. "The song takes heroin addiction as a metaphor for love," said lead vocalist Matt Skiba.
Set in the mountainous fields of Ventura County, California, the visually stunning video for the metaphorical rock anthem "This Addiction" paints a rare glimpse of Alkaline Trio as they perform on an open battlefield where two sides of the heart collide in a vibrant burst of color. The video also shows a very emo looking Matt Skiba and shows kids playing out a metaphorical skit of what the song has to say is about as the kids show the duality within a person.
It's been a long, strange trip for Matt Skiba, a punk-rock kid from Chicago. After a brief stint with Epic Records for the release of 2008's "Agony & Irony," Rock artist trio are still capitalizing on that whole cliched punk kids vs. square kids thing that made much of the 1990s so totally clique-oriented and, well, segregated for youth growing up in that period. Bands strive their entire careers to find a unique sound, one which defines them and only them.
Now, pop-punk stalwarts are anxious to get Alkaline Trio back on the road after all. Skiba and his bandmates have teamed up with iconic California punk label Epitaph Records to form their own imprint, Heart & Skull, with their new album, "The Addiction." Written and recorded in their native Chicago, "The Addiction" is a throwback to the bands earlier material, influenced by fellow Chicagoans Screeching Weasel and Pegboy. Described as a return to the band's punk rock roots, The album draws lyrical inspiration from the band members' personal lives, addressing themes such as love, addiction, death, divorce, grief, suicide, politics, and war. From what we hear in the progression of the single, looks to be like the Chicago trio's aim of returning to classic form.