This weeks Suggestions come from musician/photographer Kris Fulton.  Kris is the vocalist of the Baltimore based screamo band Age Sixteen.  They have a new album coming out on March 16th called Open Up Finders, Please that I will be posting a review of in the coming days.  Kris wrote a bunch so I’ll just end my little introduction and let you get on with his suggestions.  Enjoy.

For me, a good solid album has always and will always be about the marriage between great music and great lyrics. i typically treat vocals like an instrument, because technically speech is just a bunch of sounds much like any sound an instrument itself makes. the music is what gets me interested enough in the band to want to know exactly what they are trying to say lyrically.  understanding exactly what a band is trying to say both musically and lyrically can be very challenging. i have always found it easier to relate to and try to comprehend the lyrics, which is why playing an instrument never worked for me and being a vocalist seems to be working out. music has been a big part of my life since i was about 12 and even more so now than before, but i naturally consider myself a writer more so than a musician. i don’t think that my top 5 will have any albums that most readers of STR will not already be familiar with, BUT i do hope that upon reading my reasoning for choosing these albums you’ll go back and listen/read the words to the songs and connect to them lyrically if you haven’t done so already (or just gain some new insight). all of these albums have had a great effect on me and are the reason why i am involved in music the way that i am today. they feel more like old friends than just groups of songs. i tend to be pretty long winded when it comes to writing about things i’m passionate/interested about…you have been warned.

1. mewithoutYou – catch for us the foxes

both mike and matt already mentioned this album and typically that would deter me from listing this, but it would be a complete lie for this album not to appear on my list. this album whole-heartedly influenced me as both a person and later on as a song writer. i blew off mwy when i first heard about them from a co-worker. it took me a long time to actually go back and give them a listen. i first sat down and listened to this album around the time when i was struggling with my stance on christianity. i was raised christian but realized that i didnt actually believe in it, but i merely thought i believed in it because it was what i had been told all my life. listening to this album really put things in perspective for me. that’s not to say that it lead me straight back to christianity, but it did give me the basis in which to start my journey towards my own spiritual enlightenment.

musically this album gives me everything i need: fast & explosive when it needs to be along with calm & melodic parts. lyrically this album means the world to me. reading aaron weiss’ lyrics made me want to write songs and it’s a model that i try my best to follow with my own songs. he inspired me to be as open and honest with my words, despite how great they may or may not make me seem in other’s eyes. i am constantly impressed with his imagery, attention to details, and his fusion of bibilical verses with his own mortal dilemmas. he tells you that he is not perfect and that it’s okay. he doesnt preach, but rather he just tells his story. it’s really interesting to me that this is one of the only bands with a strong christian message that non-believers have been able to openly enjoy.

and on a side note, watching weiss perform live really influenced the way that i originally approached my “onstage presence.” as lame as it is to actually think about what you’re going to do onstage, as a vocalist who doesn’t have an instrument, you really have to consider this. figuring something out that makes you comfortable and the audience comfortable watching is part of the art of being a vocalist, in my opinion. with watching weiss live, i learned to be completely expressive with my body and to let the music and how it makes me feel along with the words that i am saying and the experiences tied to them to control my movements rather than use any predisposed music video/hardcore dance moves.

aside from being completely influential, this album is one of my all time favorites in general.

Snatch it HERE.

2. brand new – deja entendu

this album opened me up to a whole new world of music. what i like most about this band is how much they progress from album to album. the music grows up and matures as the band members themselves do. they didn’t try to re-write their previous albums like most bands do, rather thy reinvented themselves each time. i saw them when they were touring off of this album and it was probably one of the best shows ive ever been too (definitely much better than the two that i went to after they started touring again in 2006).

i saw the video for “the quiet things that no one ever knows” on mtv2 and was immediately convinced that this was a band that i needed to listen to. at the time i was buying cds left and right b/c i was 16 and had a job and no real bills to pay for, so i went out and bought the cd right after i saw the video. it took several listens for me to get into this album. at first i wrote it off and just skipped around to the one or two songs that i liked off of their first listen. after awhile i would just let it play through while driving in my car and once i actually stopped and listened to to the music, the lyrics and the stories behind them i became completely obsessed, even to the point where i had to read up on all of the drama between them and taking back sunday (remember that?? ha).

lyrically this album just blew me away. never before had i really read lyrics written or delivered in the way that jesse lacey did on that album. i loved how honest they were, even if they were cocky. they were so much more to me than taking back sunday’s “you could slit my throat and with my one last dying breath i’d apologize for bleeding on your shirt”, it was the more angsty, “I am hellbent on extracting all of my revenge. Take heart, sweetheart, or I will take it from you.” there isn’t one song on this album that doesn’t impress me still to this day.

the band’s third and most recent release, The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me” is another you should spend time with!

Snatch it HERE.

3. death cab for cutie – transatlanticism

i kind of overlooked this album when thinking about this list, mostly b/c i tend to shy away from this album in general b/c of it’s commercial success. however, i ended up listening to this album all the way through recently and was reminded about how powerful of an album this is and the influence it had on me. this, of course, is the album that catapulted death cab into the indie starlight. it’s easy to say that this band “soldout” for radio fame ala “The OC Soundtrack” BUT if you actually look at their discography you’ll see a band who have worked their asses off for many years just to get to that point. these guys deserve everything that they are getting now. great musicians.

either way, if you live under a rock or something, this is the album to listen to if you are new to death cab. it’s their fifth release and, i think, has elements of the older shoegazy/dark/moody sound found in their first four albums along with the more upbeat/hi-fi/indie pop sound that they develop in this and the two releases after Transatlanticism. arguably, any “true” death cab fan would say that We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes, their 2nd release, was the band’s best release. generally i would agree, but i definitely have more of a connection to this release.

i can remember specific moments in my life when i was listening to each song on this album. i think that ben gibbard is an amazing songwriter and all of the words on this album just struck so close to home. lyrically, “title and registration”, “tiny vessels”, and “a lack of color” had the most impact on me and still do. “tiny vessels” hit so close to home (and still does at times) when i first heard it that i opted to skip it every time it came on just b/c i didn’t want to be reminded of the feelings that it evoked. the title track is a slow almost eight minute build up to an explosive and haunting chorus, “so come on…” though gibbard elegantly sings all of his lyrics, i could easily hear this phrase screamed and/or yelled overtop the same ringing chords and steady beat.

i dunno, i guess this album just really reminds me of a time in my life when things seemed so hopeless and yet when i listened to the music and read the lyrics i felt like things weren’t so bad after all.

Snatch it HERE.

4. jimmy eat world – futures

it’s kind of weird that most of my albums come from the early 2000s, but i guess that was the period in my life where music was the most influential to me and started to shape me as a person. either way, this is another album that i can remember the exact point in my life where i first heard it. i was very resistant to jimmy eat world at first. i hadn’t heard of them until “the middle” became popular and was playing on mtv nonstop. i kind of wrote them off as another pop group trying to make it. my girlfriend at the time was really into this cd when it came out so i heard it here and there. after we broke up, we kept in close contact b/c we hung around the same group of people and also, in hindsight, i wasn’t over her and she didn’t want us to break up in the first place. either way, she kept mentioning the song “work” and how she had been listening to it and how it was really helping her get through everything. there was a taking back sunday and jimmy eat world show that we both ended up going to with two different groups of people and i just remember how i felt seeing her there and hearing jimmy eat world play that song. i thought about how much of a shit head i had been and how i had wished that we had come to the show together like we had planned originally. it really crushed me and eventually led me to realize that i really wanted her back and had made a mistake. ha, of course i was too late and she had moved on by the time i came around. such is life.

i ended up coming back to this album years later by chance and was instantly reminded of that moment at the show and just about that relationship in general. this whole album destroys me every time i listen to it. i almost feel like i had to mature to actually understand it all. now, songs like “23″ completely blow my mind and pull at my heartstrings, such a great song musically and lyrically. a song like “drugs or me” just reminds me of dealing with a difficult relationship and that person’s “drug” becoming a huge weight on the whole situation. the remix to this song found on their ep Stay On My Side Tonight is amazing as well and brings a whole new light to the song, something that every remix does not accomplish.

this is just one of those albums that i feel like has the whole of my adolescence wrapped up in 11 beautifully composed songs.

Snatch it HERE.

5. blink 182 – enema of the state

this album wasn’t even nearly as influential as the other albums on this list were for me, but it was one of the first cds that i bought when i was around 12 and i remember how excited about it i was. this was one of my first tastes of the “punk” music of that time and i ate it up. listened to this cd back and forth everyday for a couple of months, learned all the words to the songs and even made a tape of it so that i could secretly listen to it in my mom’s van while i sat in the car waiting for her to come out after church. this album told me that it was okay to be a kid and do stupid things and to like girls even though they thought you were weird and that it was okay to not be the coolest kid at school. the songs on this album are simple and infectious. reunion tour summer 09!

Snatch it HERE.

This week’s suggestions list comes from musician Joey Edwards of Ruiner.  Joey has played in a TON of bands (Counting the Days, Silent Reminder, Vanderbilt, etc) but you probably know him as the drummer of the Baltimore based hardcore band Ruiner.  Joey just finished recording a 3 song demo with In the Hollows, a new band he’s playing in which features past and current members of Army of kashyyyk, Champion, Counting the Days, Pulling Teeth, Rant Casey, and Ruiner.

download In the Hollows Demo HERE.

“Alright, my answers are a little shorter, sorry. This was really hard. Let me know what ya think. Thanks.”  

-  Joey

Converge – Jane Doe

This is the album which made/taught me to play drums. I mean obviously they’ve had great records before/after this one this but this is where I believe the band defined itself and their sound. This is one of the most powerful hardcore records of all time. 

Snatch it HERE.

Strung out: Twisted by Design 

This is a perfect record. There’s not one bad song on it. They are not your typical pop-punk band. There’s a lot depth to the lyrics as well as a ton of musicianship. Definitely a record I’ll never look back and say “what was I thinking?”

Snatch it HERE.

Pedro the Lion: Control

This is one the best lyrically written albums ever.  Definitely a record that has helped me get through a bunch.  Seriously blows me away pretty much every time I listen to it.

Snatch it HERE.

Bonus ChugLife post HERE.

Gin Blossoms: Outside Looking In (The Best of the Gin Blossoms)

Amazing band. All of their best songs on one record. What else do ya need?

(I’m not trying to have the RIAA knock down my door.  But, start HERE.)

Bane: Give Blood

This is another great hardcore record. Everything on it is just so intense. This collection of music itself is probably some of the most creatively written hardcore ever. Their lyrics are what made me want to be in a touring band.  I mean the lyrics to Some Came Running? Come on! Anyways, I think this record will go down as this generations “Damaged”.

Snatch it HERE.

This weeks suggestions come from musician Kyle Durfey. Kyle’s been invloved with bands since he was a teenager.  He started out singing for the Maryland based indie/experimental/hardcore band Cartel Cartel Lover, then he played bass for a brief stint with the recently broken-up hardcore band Counting the Days, and he is currently doing vocals for Pianos Become the Teeth.  Kyle resides in Baltimore, MD.

“there are tons and tons of records I love and the list will keep going, but these seem to be the ones that stick out the most for me. I remember where I was the first time I heard all of these. I have a lot of records that I think are amazing but these are the ones I was heavily influenced by at a specific time in my life where I needed to delve into something. Chaden wanted a top 5 but I just couldn’t do it, I already cut down a lot of bands that could have easily made the list. I really hope people have heard or will check these albums/bands out.” – Kyle

HARVEY DANGER – WHERE HAVE ALL THE MERRYMAKERS GONE?

this album pretty much made me feel like it was ok to be upset about something and that ‘idea’ changed the way I viewed a lot of things in my life from that point on. It has a very gut wrenching sarcasm to it the whole way through. Also, this album seems to relate to me better the older I get. “jack the lion” and “problems and bigger ones” are almost haunting for me to listen to among other songs due to how close to home they hit. The ending of this record is so sad and just ruins me. I would say this record has the best lyrics out of any album I own.

Snatch it HERE.

SNAPCASE – DESIGNS FOR AUTOMOTION

this album practically told me, “Kyle, if you feel passionate about something, scream your lungs out.” this is one of the albums that made me want to write and sing. It got me so pumped on energetic music. The lyrics are so positive too. It’s funny, the singer is screaming, but he sounds like he’s smiling. Listen to this record. I read somewhere that that papa roach was heavily influenced by this band. True story.

Snatch it HERE.

AT THE DRIVE IN – RELATIONSHIP OF COMMAND

this band was so great. They were perfect and super influential. From beginning to end, I stay pumped on this album. It’s rare when that happens for me. Everything this band did seemed so new and innovative.

Snatch it HERE.

HOT CROSS – CRYONICS

just very influential. It was straight forward but just came out differently than other bands I had heard in the same genre. Guitar rhythms, lyrics, and vocal delivery.

Snatch it HERE.

GOOD RIDDANCE – A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO MODERN REBELLION

I guess I was never much into punk, but this album was so melodic and just very well put together. It was perfect for me at the time. This band introduced me to a lot of ideas.

Snatch it HERE.

GRADE – SEPARATE THE MAGNETS

this band had such an impact on me. They were my gateway band. This album in my eyes is a perfect mix. The music is so poppy but sad and raw at the same time.

Snatch it HERE.

PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS – PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS

this album is so angsty, mean and cold. I love how this band always seemed so gritty. This album is perfect. I don’t think I will ever have the same feeling in my gut as the first time I heard copper and stars. It’s still my favorite song. “And I don’t want to say that I wasted my days chasing instead of catching.”

Snatch it HERE.

Matt previously played guitar and sang for the Maryland based post-hardcore band Draw Out the Lions.  He is currently hard at work on a new musical project.

Hopesfall – The Satellite Years

This album would have to be my favorite screamy “hardcore” or whatevercore album to be released. It’s eerily calming and beautiful despite the screaming.  The vocals on this album are some of the best in the genre. I found the guitar tones to be just about perfect and loved how the songs didn’t follow a verse chorus format but instead were constantly changing from beginning to end. This structure had a tremendous impact on my own song writing. Also you’ll find not one chuggah chuggah break down which was very refreshing at the time from such a band. Matt Talbot from Hum(another amazing band everyone should give a listen) produced the album and you can really tell. In the end I feel “The Satellite Years” transcends the genre altogether. It’s a real shame what happened to this band after this album.

Snatch it HERE.

Hella – Hold Your Horse Is

I first listened to Hella many years ago, when I was still into bands like Finch and A Static Lullaby, and I instantly dismissed them as noise. It wasn’t until my musical tastes matured past The Used (very thankfully) that I decided to give them a listen again and they pretty much blew me away and changed the way I would listen and play music from that point on. The most important thing to keep in mind is that Hella is just a guitarist and a drummer.  Two of the best musicians I have ever heard. “Hold Your Horse Is” is by far Hella’s most accessible album and after it their releases got weirder and weirder which might turn someone off at first listen.  That is why I suggest that any newcomer to the band start with their first full length. The drummer, Zach Hill, is in countless other bands (all of which are amazing). Here is a link that has all of his other musical ventures in one place

www.myspace.com/holysmokesthesquire

I suggest anyone looking for something different give Hella or any other Zach Hill band a listen.

Snatch it HERE.

Bear VS. Shark – Terrorhawk

I consider Bear VS. Shark to be one of the most original and creative bands in recent years. At times you can almost hear a throw back to Cap’n Jazz in the music. Their first album, “Right Now You’re in the Best of Hands…” was also an amazing listen but “Terrorhawk” is just a better album from beginning to end. One of the most interesting things about this band is the vocals. There is a lot of screaming and yet his voice does not come across as really angry at all. The vocalist was influenced by the MC5 and it is very apparent on this album. The rhythm section on this one is just phenomenal, throughout the album it’ll get you wanting to dance around. Indie rock in my opinion has become a formulaic and stagnant genre as a whole but this band really showed how great it could be with some true originality thrown in. It’s a crying fucking shame this band broke up.

Snatch it HERE.

Fugazi – Red Medicine

Honestly, how could I not throw some Fugazi on the list? Very few bands have had such a monumental influence on so many other bands (and me as well).  “Red Medicine” would have to be my favorite Fugazi album. It was the perfect mix of older, more punk influenced, Fugazi and the newer, somewhat slower, almost jazzy, Fugazi.

Snatch it HERE.

Mewithoutyou – Catch for Us the Foxes

Every full length this band has released is nothing short of amazing. I would certainly say that “Catch for Us the Foxes” is their best work so far. Every song on this album sounds lush and beautifully composed with just enough effects on the guitars to make them sound crisp and stand out. The vocal delivery and lyrics are the best I have ever had the pleasure of hearing. It’s very hard to even pick out a favorite track on this album because I feel that it is best listened to from beginning to end.
Their first full length “A to B life” was a much more aggressive album.  At times the conviction in the lyrics and the vocal delivery would make me shiver.  As amazing as that album is, “Catch for Us the Foxes” is clearly the next amazing evolution of the band. I am by no means a religious man, but Aaron Weiss’s lyrics paint faith as a beautiful and meditative concept.  They offer so much more depth than the lyrics of many other religious bands (the ones that senselessly yell about praising Jesus.)  I challenge anyone to hear this album and not fall in love with the band pretty much immediately.

Snatch that HERE.

This weeks list comes from Mike York.

Mike is a touring musician (his band), runs a recording studio called The Crawlspace, and owns 229 records (which is about to release Age16′s full length).

“Alright, well this took hours to do. I had so many toss ups on what should be what, but here it is. No particular order, just 5 albums that have changed my life/affected me heavily in one way or another and why. I wish I could have had 8 or so, but… this is the way the ball rolls! I will mention 5 runner ups as well. Thanks so much for letting me be a part of this! I love stuff like this so much. Anyway, enough of my rambling…”

1. Explosions in the Sky – The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place

Explosions in the Sky is a Texas based instrumental band. I don’t really understand the term “post rock” so I don’t want to use it. I remember reading that one of their guitarists posted an ad in a local music shop stating that he was looking for likeminded individuals who wanted to start writing and performing music for a “sad, triumphant, instrumental rock machine”. Out of all the possible tags that could be labeled on this band, I think perhaps that is the best. The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead Place tells a story from beginning to end of love, loss, heartbreak, regaining things lost, memories, death, and life. The most incredible part about that however is that they do it without the use of vocals. Sure, there are many instrumental bands out there that can move listeners with their instruments, but I don’t feel that anyone has ever touched me the way this album does. In my opinion, it is a perfectly written album. Not a note out of place, not a melody unfit… nothing. It’s pristine, but not over produced. It’s clean, but heartfelt. It’s tight, but flowing and honest. They also put on a hell of a live show. There were points when you can hear the person next to you breathing because of how quiet it was, as well as points to where it was so loud you could feel everything in your chest. Perhaps the best live show I have ever seen as well.

Snatch it HERE.

2. Poison the Well – The Opposite of December: A Season of Separation

Alright, I catch a lot of hell about this. Have you ever, even for a second, been into a band that played breakdowns? Have you ever been into what is now considered, screamo (more on this one later)? Chances are, if you were ever into bands with heartfelt lyrics of losing someone coupled with palm muted guitar parts and triggered drums, you can thank this album and this band. This album is the COLDEST album I own. What do I mean by that? The album is harsh… a lot like the dead cold in winter. The album name is very fitting for them. The tones are incredibly harsh, lyrics are undeniably sad and cuts right through to the listener. I remember being in 8th grade and having been introduced to me by my best friend. That first listen… remember those feelings? Hearing something you didn’t know existed? Heavy, but not just musically, emotionally as well. Lines like, “beg for sleep, as this noose is tied around your neck” and “if I grew wings, or maybe if you lost yours, these words would flow like water, if you’d let them, scrape your heart” ,may seem cheesy and contrived now, but back in 1999 this was innovative. It wasn’t cheesy then. This album doesn’t let you up for air. It was my first gateway into hardcore, emo (real emo), scream (see previous), better metal, etc. It was the beginning of my new musical life.

Snatch it HERE.

3. Planes Mistaken For Stars – Up In Them Guts

Now, this band was another one that was/has been/will always be a huge portion of my life. Yes, the self titled album changed the way I listened to music the first time I heard it, however I am choosing their 2nd to last studio album, Up In Them Guts, as my album of choice for this because of the way it works together. This band seemed to fly beneath the radar for a lot of people when they were around for their 11/12 year career. Those who missed out on seeing them or never gave them a listen really missed out. The best way I can describe this band is Rock. They are an honest, rock band. No frills, no deceptive undertones in their writing, just straight ahead rock. Lyrically, Gerad O’Donnell writes very descriptive and vivid lyrics. Very metaphorical at times, however he never loses you in what he is trying to get across. His subject matter, for me anyway, is always very clear, just a very vivid way of describing it. Every time I saw this band, they used the same equipment from the first time to last. Easily one of my favorite bands of all time.

Snatch it HERE.

4. Thursday – Full Collapse

I don’t think this album needs any explanation. Everyone who has been involved in music of this genre understands it, comprehends it, and always has this album listed as one of their favorites of all time. Another one that changed my whole life when I heard it. Albums like this aren’t released anymore. If you never really listened to it, take the time to do so. One of my biggest influences in my own writing.

Snatch it HERE.

5. Jawbreaker – Dear You

This band was hit or miss with most. You could either get into them, or you couldn’t. Musically, it holds roots from older punk bands, and lyrics of the punk and, dare I say it, emo genre as well. No, they aren’t an emo band. That’s a whole other discussion; however the song “Jet Black” could be one of the saddest songs I have ever heard, which is on this album. I remember this album being on rotation in my CD player in my car for 6 months straight. Everyone can relate to almost every song on this album. Probably some of the most honest, and straightforward records you can find. This is a prime example of a band who gets better with time, although most will disagree and say that their worst sounding albums were better because they listened to them before they were cool, so automatically a good sounding recording of well written songs released on a subsidiary label of Geffen Records is terrible, and the others are prime. They will argue that they are horrible just because they had a label pay for the recording, and could possibly make a living off of playing live and selling records therefore, they could no longer listen to the band. Don’t worry, they even talk about that on their record. Hell, isn’t that every musicians dream? Make the music you love, not change at all, release a major label release, do well, and make money doing what you love, writing music you love, and enjoying it? Yeah, they are assholes for doing that…

Snatch it HERE.

Honorable Mentions:

1. As Cities Burn – Son, I Loved You At Your Darkest

2, mewithoutYou – Catch for Us The Foxes

3. Hopesfall – No Wings To Speak Of EP

4. Gregor Samsa – 55:12

5. Owen – No Good For No One Now