Punk Goes- Punk Goes Classic Rock

Compared to other albums, it's a little bit more difficult to rate this album as a whole, simply because it's a collection of various artists rather than just one. I won't be writing about each song, but the songs I don't mention get a general thumbs up in my opinion. If there were any shitty songs, I'd take the time to write about them. Punk Goes Classic Rock was released last week (4/27/2010) and me being a huge fan of the Punk Goes... collections, I had to get my hands on it as soon as I could. One of my absolute favorite covers off of this album would have to be VersaEmerge's cover of "Paint It Black" originally by The Rolling Stones. This isn't even just coming from a VersaEmerge fan, but a Rolling Stones fan as well. It's safe to say that VersaEmerge are the kings (and queen) of covering random music. This is the 4th song I've heard them cover and they've done a wonderful job of each of them. "Paint It Black" always had an eerie feel to it, but with VersaEmerge's duet vocals and modern twist, they've managed to make it catchier and even eerier. I have no complaints on I See Star's cover of "Your Love" by The Outfield. They did a good job of it, I just don't approve of the song choice. Come on! Midtown already covered "Your Love" on Punk Goes '80s and I would've liked to hear I See Stars record a different song. I know "Free Fallin'" originally performed by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and covered by The Almost, is ridonkulously popular on iTunes, and I must agree; "Free Fallin'" fits The Almost extremely well. I was actually really surprised when I heard that Punk Goes 'virgins', Envy On The Coast, were going to be on this album. But once I discovered they would be covering Bob Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower" in the style of Jimi Hendrix, I could only respond with "OH. They would..." Yes, they do Jimi Hendrix justice, but in a strange way it's more so that that particular song just fits them well as a band. As an Envy On The Coast fan, this is just a minor detail that I feel the need to point out: there are many reasons why I love them, but one of them being that I love the fact that they have multiple singers! Maybe they were trying to stay true to the song by only having Ryan sing, but I would've loved to hear them change it up by having all three singers (Ryan, Sal, and Brian). If VersaEmerge can do it, so can Envy On The Coast.

I don't have much to say about Mayday Parade's "We Are The Champions," but just a general thumbs up. It may just be a slight change from their last cover... "When I Grow Up" (off of Punk Goes Pop Vol. 2). Like Mayday Parade, Never Shout Never also covered a Queen song. Except, Christofer took the ballsy risk of covering "Bohemian Rhapsody." I'll be totally honest, I expected the worst. I imagined Never Shout Never doing the worst cover possible. The truth is, yes, it sounds like he's trying WAY too hard at some points to make it epically dramatic, but it could've been worse. The Maine's cover of "Pour Some Sugar On Me" is another song I don't have much to say about, but want to give a shout out to. It's humorous compared to their typical music, not as hysterical as their cover of "I Wanna Love You" (from Punk Goes Crunk), but not a disappointment either. Last but not least, I want to mention Forever The Sickest Kids' Ozzy Osbourne cover of "Crazy Train." They've added their own FTSK style to it and whether you're a fan of the original or not, the new FTSK/Ozzy intro is simply orgasmic with their guitar riffs and synth. I have nothing bad to say about the rest of the song, it's just that the intro is the kind of EPIC Never Shout Never was striving for.

1. Hit The Lights "More Than A Feeling" (originally recorded by Boston)
2. VersaEmerge "Paint It Black" (originally recorded by The Rolling Stones)
3. The Almost "Free Fallin'" (originally recorded by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers)
4. Mayday Parade "We Are The Champions" (originally recorded by Queen)
5. The Summer Set "Rock 'n Roll All Nite" (originally recorded by KISS)
6. We The Kings "Caught Up In You" (originally recorded by .38 Special)
7. A Skylit Drive "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" (originally recorded by Journey)
8. I See Stars "Your Love" (originally recorded by The Outfield)
9. Pierce The Veil "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (originally recorded by Blue Oyster Cult)
10. Forever The Sickest Kids "Crazy Train" (originally recorded by Ozzy Osbourne)
11. The Maine "Pour Some Sugar On Me" (originally recorded by Def Leppard)
12. Envy On The Coast "All Along The Watchtower" (originally recorded by Bob Dylan as covered by Jimi Hendrix)
13. Every Avenue "Take Me Home Tonight" (originally recorded by Eddie Money)
14. Never Shout Never "Bohemian Rhapsody" (originally recorded by Queen)
15. blessthefall "Dream On" (originally recorded by Aerosmith)

<3becca

All Time Low-MTV Unplugged

This is just a super quick write up for All Time Low's MTV Unplugged performance. I'm writing this partly because, I was a bit disgusted by the lack of attention this performance got (the CD/DVD was released in January) and also in anticipation for Straight To DVD to be released May 25th. Their 6 song set is nicely divided by 2 songs from each Put Up Or Shut Up, So Wrong, It's Right, and Nothing Personal. It's not that this recording went completely ignored, but for a band of their status (or any status for that matter), MTV Unplugged is a pretty big deal. I didn't expect their MTV Unplugged recording to get the same amount of attention as Katy Perry's, but still. As all All Time Low fans know, there's nothing better than an All Time Low interview, so yes, the DVD includes an interview. Though this is a recommendation for people to check this performance out, I have one complaint (sorry!). I'm sure most would say I'm overreacting, but in my opinion Kate Voegele's performance as the guest vocalist on "Remembering Sunday" was unbearably boring and dull. Of course, she's disappointing compared to Juliet Simms (Automatic Loveletter), but couldn't Alex have helped her a little? When they perform that song live, Alex changes the part stylistically so that it's not so dull when sung down an octave. I don't know, but Kate Voegele managed to make that one really epic part... simply boring. To end this on a better note, I highly recommend this CD/DVD and though it's more entertaining when watching the DVD, the tracks don't feel incomplete without the visual.

myspace.com/alltimelow
purevolume.com/alltimelow

<3Becca