SOUND BITES

On paper, Fucked Up's fifth full-length album is a return to form; revisiting the story from 2011's David Comes to Life and offering a sprawling 18-song set that can't be contained to one CD sure looks like the Fucked Up we know and love. However, it doesn't take long to figure out just how different Dose Your Dreams is from previous records; there's a psychedelic cloud permeating this record, and a wide breadth of instrumentation we might not be used to hearing. For instance, toward the end of Raise Your Voice Joyce , what seems like a standard punk rager gets dreamy courtesy of a wild saxophone solo. Electronic flourishes are present throughout, and some tracks (like the wonderfully groovy title track and the thumping left turn Mechanical Bull ) have a hypnotically danceable quality to them. There's also a pronounced step back from Damian Abraham, especially as the album plays out and the mic is handed to a wider and wider array of guest vocalists. Tha...

Sometimes, without good excuse, I'm simply too lazy to pull together proper reviews. It can be especially futile this time of year, as my thoughts turn toward summer vacation, relaxing and, thanks to the spectacle that is E3, video games. However, as difficult as it can be to muster up the headspace, there's always a little time for tunes. With that spirit in mind, allow me to introduce you to Nibbles. Instead of forcing myself to write reviews for albums that either aren't really albums (Fucked Up), didn't hold my attention (Heartless Bastards, KENmode), or aren't streaming on Google Play, my go-to source material (Third Eye Blind), Nibbles gives me the chance to talk about new releases without the need to commit to repeat listens that take time or half-assed reviews penned without giving the music a fraction of the effort that went into making them. This is also an excellent place to give props to one-offs, hot new singles and the like, the kind of stuff y...

There are a lot of bands for whom the word "epic" is thrown around, and few of them have earned the adjective quite as much as Fucked Up. 2011's David Comes to Life wasn't just a supersized concept album with a sprawling narrative over four acts and orgies of sound, it was a grand statement, burning the proverbial rule book of hardcore and putting the music world to rights. It was brash and bold, to be sure, but it was also immensely melodic; under its gruff and gnarled exterior were heartfelt, well crafted songs, soothing the soul even as they spat and screamed. It wasn't the clear choice for Album of the Year at the time, but three years removed I don't regret my choice a bit because I've continued to go back to it and continued to find new reasons to love it. I haven't even mentioned the several bonus tracks cut from the album due to time constraints, nor the accompanying David's Town album that featured guest vocalists. All told, the compl...

FUCKED UP The Other Shoe From: David Comes to Life Released: June 7 Coming three years after their Polaris Music Prize winning album The Chemistry of Common Life , Fucked Up knew they'd be placed under increased scrutiny for David Comes to Life .  You don't just win an award proclaiming your band's album as best in the country and have your next go unnoticed.  Luckily for us, Fucked Up cranked out another winner, upping the ante on their wall of guitars attack and keeping the quality of their songwriting sharp.  Oh, who am I kidding?  They obliterated expectations, creating a tour du force record filled with mammoth riffs, thesis-worthy narrative arc and more catchy tunes than most any other record released this year.  It's a complicated, often confusing, always exhilarating 78 minutes of theatrics and primal scream that's only as good as it is fun, and how much fun it is depends on how open your mind is. To the uninitiated, it can be hard work buying ...