Friday Discussion: Our Favorite Side-Projects
We all have our favorite bands, but little makes some of us more excited than when we hear members of those bands are starting a new project, whether it be solo or with other musicians. There’s just something special about waiting for a mysterious project from one of your favorite artists with no idea of what it could sound like. We’re doing a Friday Discussion this week on PropertyOfZack on some of Our Favorite Side-Projects. Check out our list below and feel free to reblog with some of your favorites as well!
Jack’s Mannequin
Though it transitioned into a longer lived project than Something Corporate, Jack’s Mannequin did start as a simple side-project for Andrew McMahon to try something new, something different. Never could he have expected a near-death battle with cancer and such a wave of support, but that’s not the point of Jack’s Mannequin. Everything In Transit was and still is an album that touched so many in a way SoCo came close to, but never truly hit. Whether you view it at a summer album or a perfect record, there was a certain breath of fresh air that Jack’s Mannequin started with that still lives with so many people today. Jack’s follow-ups to Everything In Transit either met or failed expectations of many fans, but the band kept an extremely large and dedicated fan base until its end. The transition for Andrew McMahon from Something Corporate to Jack’s Mannequin remains impressive in itself, and it will be even more interesting to see what happens with McMahon’s solo career. - Zack Zarrillo (@zzarrillo)
Box Car Racer
blink-182’s Untitled is regarded by most fans as Mark, Tom, and Travis’ best work. But if it weren’t for Tom and Travis escaping to Box Car in 2002, we may have not seen the two incredible albums that we ended up with. blink were always known as a light-hearted pop-punk band, even if Take Off Your Pants And Jacket saw a little bit of an edgier and darker side to the band. Box Car Racer was the first true signs of anger, aggression, sadness, and even hopelessness from Tom DeLonge, and it was an album that resinated with so many blink-182 fans. Though the project was of the main reasons for blink’s hiatus in 2005, there’s just no question that the album was integral for the creation of Untitled. Box Car Racer seems like it will be one of very view projects that will not get some sort of reunion tour in the future, and I would imagine that many feel that that is okay. - Zack Zarrillo (@zzarrillo)
Bad Books
I could list 1000 metaphors combining two awesome things and compare that to Bad Books. Superheroes. Foods. TV shows. Sports teams. Blah Blah Blah. All comparisons would fall short. Taking the storytelling abilities of Andy Hull and slamming them into the unique outlooks and viewpoints of life from Kevin Devine is an indie rock super group goldmine. Two albums into their catalog, the band has proved they are not only a part of the the scene, but also quickly becoming the ring leader of the modern day “brat pack” consisting of Devine, Manchester Orchestra, Brand New, Thrice and the rest of the Favorite Gentlemen collective. Not only is there no denying that this group has more talent than the whole of most indie labels, there is also no avoiding the addiction that comes from giving them a spin. - Josh Hammond (@endless_rambles)
+44
When Your Heart Stops Beating is not my favorite blink-related record, but it may be top 3 for me. Untitled seemed like much more of a “Tom” record for blink, and it was fantastic. Seeing what Mark could do all by himself lyrically on +44’s only record was incredibly interesting following the release of Untitled. I would argue with anyone that Mark’s lyrics throughout the record are the best of any blink project, and that it is a musically sound record as well. There was a certain anger, urgency, and pain in the lyrics of When Your Heart Stops Beating, and it was felt. Another +44 album would be welcomed any day as long as it could rival the original release, but it may be a project better left dead like Box Car Racer as well. - Zack Zarrillo (@zzarrillo)
Misser
What do you get when you cross Transit’s Tim Landers and This Time Next Year’s Brad Wiseman? A project that’s less pop punk than you’d think. Misser’s debut, Every Day I Tell Myself I’m Going to Be a Better Person, is an exercise in optimism, and the indie touch the duo liberally applies to their sound keeps the positivity from sounding cliché. Landers and Wiseman trade off vocal performances, a la early Taking Back Sunday, and songs like “Time Capsules” and “I’m Really Starting to Hope the World Ends in 2012” stack up well against both of their respective bands’ discographies. With TTNY defunct and Transit’s new album wrapped up, I’d love to see some more Misser happen. - Erik van Rheenen (@TheVandyMan)
POZ Discussion: Most Anticipated March Releases
We’re just about through the first week of March, but there are a slew of great records coming out over the rest of the month that PropertyOfZack team members couldn’t be more stoked to hear. In today’s new Discussion, we’re highlighting our personal Most Anticipated March Releases. Check out our list below and feel free to reblog with what you’re looking forward to as well!
The Story So Far - What You Don’t See (3/26)
It’s hard to deny just how large The Story So Far have gotten in under two years. Whether you’re a casual or die-hard fan, there’s been a certain build up in excitement to What You Don’t See that can only happen organically. We’re right around the corner now, and the two songs the band has released so far have packed a strong punch.It’s already clear that the music on the new record is much advanced from Under Soil And Dirt, and Parker Cannon’s improved vocals with Sam Pura’s ever-growing enginerring skills seem to make What You Don’t See a complete package. The best part about this release will be seeing what the band can do within the next two years between tours already lined up with Man Overboard and Warped Tour. - Zack Zarrillo
Cartel - Collider(3/26)
It’s a funny thing, releasing a lead single called “Uninspired” that’s anything but. Cartel’s first single from Collider is a slice of confectionary pop-rock bliss, and a surefire sign for what should be a heck of an album. Will Pugh’s voice sounds crisp, the guitar riffs rollick, and the chorus sounds like the band took some serious songwriting steroids.Between “Uninspired” and the soaring, punchy “Mosaic,” Collider is poised to be Cartel back at full mainstream force like they haven’t been since Chroma. With an arsenal of hooks and vocals that will keep fans swooning over Pugh’s lush delivery, this album could have the chops to take a swing at Top 40 radio. - Erik van Rheenen
Senses Fail - Renacer(3/26)
It has been nearly two and a half years since Senses Fail released their last album,The Fire. And while two and a half years mayseem to be a relatively short amount of time, in today’s music industry (and certainly to die-hard Senses Fail fanatics), the break between the post-hardcore veterans’ fourth album and their forthcoming fifth offering,Renacer, seems to be an eternity. However, early indications are the wait was well worth it.In many ways Renacer marks a rebirth for the New Jersey outfit (“renacer” is Spanish for “to be reborn”) who have been going strong for over a decade now. It will be the group’s first release on Staple Records and finds Senses Fail moving away from their trademark pop-hardcore structure towards a heavier, more melodic sound. However, fans of the group’s earlier material should not fret;Renacer is sure to harbor enough sing-along choruses to keep your vocal chords content. Just don’t be expecting “NJ Falls Into the Atlantic Pt. 2” this time around. - Michael Meeze
A Rocket To The Moon - Wild & Free(3/26)
A Rocket To The Moon are in a bit of a strange position — having come up on the tail end of the mid-00’s Fueled By Ramen tidal wave, they feel like long-standing scene vets, yet they’ve only released a single full length. That album, 2009’s On Your Side, found radio and scene success by mixing gooey pop melodies with a dash of down-home twang, but 2009 was a long time ago — a veritable generation in “scene years” — and the community that once nurtured them has long since turned its back on the sort of brightly melodic pop that A Rocket To The Moon made their stock-in-trade.If all of that makes A Rocket To The Moon’s future prospects appear uncertain, the fact that FBR has kept Wild & Free on the shelf for over a year doesn’t inspire confidence. But last year’s That Old Feeling EP, which previews four tracks from the album, featured a couple of winners with a heavy Americana bent. The band swears they haven’t gone yokel, but in a world where pop-country seems to have supplanted rock as the last outlet for guys-with-guitars to achieve mainstream popularity (and radio play, and album sales), letting the heartland into their hearts might prove the key to continued success. - Jesse Richman
