I Wanna Be Your MTV
Out of winter hibernation and feasting on a massive spread of new music.
Firstly, a new discovery. Titus Andronicus obviously like Shakespeare, but they also pepper their songs with references to New Jersey (hometown: Glen Rock) and the Civil War. “A More Perfect Union” is a seemingly true tale of an ill-fated relocation to Boston that evolves into a cut-and-paste reconfiguration of The Battle Hymn Of The Republic and The Battle Cry Of Freedom. If you like the possibilities of Springsteen, The Replacements, and Desaparecidos shaken but not stirred, this may inspire you hoist your flag, whatever it may be.
Jesse Malin is lower Manhattan’s finest ambassador of rock and roll. For yeares, he’s been providing places for the locals to play music (he owned the late great Coney Island High) and drink while listening to music (he owns the East Village haunt Niagra, notable for it’s cartoonish Joe Strummer mural outside). He also has an impressive resume as leader of 90′s gutter punks D Generation and his own extensive solo career. He returns with a new backing band, The St. Marks Social. The first single, Burning The Bowery is a mighty blast of Lower East Side spirit.
The name Walter Schreifels may not ring a bell, but his fingerprints are all over some bands you may have heard of. He toiled with New York hardcore staples Youth Of Today and Gorilla Biscuits before fronting Quicksand. He then led the beloved Rival Schools and sadly overlooked Walking Concert. Mr. Schreifels returns with a solo record, the earnest Open Letter To The Scene, which mixes the melodic tunefulness and do-right ideals of his previous two respective bands. And for a former hardcore punk, he sure makes some pleasantly whimsical videos (see also “Society Suckers” and Walking Concert’s “What’s Your New Thing”, both searchable on YouTube).
I’m also currently feasting on the new releases by Gaslight Anthem, The National, and The Hold Steady. Observations to follow someday.
