The Anniversary

MP3: The Anniversary - Hold Me Tonight

MP3: The Anniversary - Let It Slip

I've had the Anniversary's "Devil On Our Side: Rarities & B-Sides" 2 disc collection for nearly a week now and I can't stop listening to it. Sure, they're one of my favourite bands and all of their current projects (White Flight, Dri, The Only Children) are making some of my current favourite jams, I'll always look back fondly at the Anniversary and am thankful that I FINALLY have a b-sides collection from them.

Even the biggest fan will find something new on this collection: disc one is full of 7 inch tracks, unreleased sessions when they were still the Broadcast, Untitled #1 & #2 with titles and demos of songs everyone fell in love with from "Designing A Nervous Breakdown". For those of us who really really liked "Your Majesty" and were excited about a new record, demos from those sessions are here. It's a shame that they broke up too, because as is evident on here, LP3 would have been fucking phenomenal.

I do have some questions. Where is "Tu-Whitt Tu-Whoo" from the Sub Pop single? The a-side is there. Why include "O' Lady Butterfly"? Yes, it's probably one of the best Berwanger songs written, but as far as I know the split with Superdrag it appeared on is still very much in print. And if it's not, why not include the other 2 songs that were on it? Where is "Death of the Season", a demo posted on fan site Anniversary Access from LP3 ages ago? Did they lose it? I have it if you'd like guys. And a minor question, why did "Lonesome Road" get retitled as "Lover"?

Still, none of those are that big a deal, especially to the casual listener. And I will do Vagrant one better in promoting this in posting a song from BOTH cds. "Hold Me Tonight" is a way old song that appeared on a tour 7 inch in the day, and "Let It Slip" is an LP3 demo. Maybe you'll dig on them, but if not, more for me!

{purchase the anniversary merchandise from blue collar distro}

GO TEAM: Dri

MP3: Dri - Don't Wait

NOTE: Today's contribution comes from Mr. Busy: Zach Hangauer.
I asked him to do a write up on "Don't Wait", a song from Dri's "Smoke Rings", which came out today. He released this record and I wanted to support it in any way possible, as it is beyond fantastic. It also introduces a new but long overdue feature here on the blog, the companion to our "FUCK YEAH" posts: GO TEAM. These will pop up every now and then, varying from hometown heroes (aka anything Connecticut) to words from the people involved with the jam. So without further delay, enjoy this post. Go team.

"Don't Wait" by Dri
Produced by Josh Powers
from the album "Smoke Rings" out now

The way we did this record was by picking out tracks a few of our talented local producer and deejay friends had put together and then arranged them so Dri could step up and slay them. Some we had for six months before recording and by the time we recorded they were pure flow. A few others we got very last minute and "Don't Wait" was definitely one of those. Josh Powers, bless his old-school soul, is a procrastinator and he promised, promised, promised and then - finally - delivered.

At the time Dri was recording "Smoke Rings", White Flight was finishing recording his next record in Catskills, New York and was getting ready to make his first visit back to Lawrence in two years. Justin and Dri, as all you Anniversary fans know, were not only a couple once, but a couple who, by virtue of their coupling, broke up the band. You can feel the weight of their history in "Don't Wait", especially in the second verse where Dri takes a step back and sings, all Sly-Stoned, my favorite round of lyrics on the record: "The Universe couldn't stop it/ And it didn't try", and "I love you more/ because you are the one who set me free."

She had just talked to Justin on the phone. She was thrilled, as we all were, to see him after two years. She hung up the phone and knew she had to write this song. I imagine that's where the chorus came from - being filled with this flood of feelings and thinking "If I don't take care of this now, it could get lost forever." "Don't wait", she thought to herself. And she didn't.

{purchase dri recordings from the range life shop}

The songwriting of Justin Roelofs

MP3: The Anniversary - The Ghost Of the River
MP3: Justin Roelofs - Why do I have to take my pants off when you're the one who lied?! (featuring Pink Nasty)
MP3: White Flight - Solarsphere

The White Flight record has been getting a lot of well deserved attention lately from mp3 bloggers and various reviewers. That's probably what brought everyone over to the songwriting of Justin Roelofs, except a select few like myself who were huge fans of the Anniversary.

So today's (late) entry is dedicated to the songwriting of a Mr. Justin Roelofs. I made a post about the Only Children, the new project of Josh Berwanger, the other songwriter of the Anniversary. Feel free to check that out.

Choosing an Anniversary penned Roelofs cut (or any cut) was hard. In the end it was between this and another, but "The Ghost Of the River" won because it really showcasing a band working around him. He still very much owns the song with his unique voice and lyrics but the rest of the group really gives it depth. "Your Majesty" is an all time favourite for me, and though Vagrant has it out of print, it's still pretty easy to find. Take advantage of that asap.

After the band split, 3 tracks surfaced from a now solo Roelofs. The humourously titled "Why do I have to take my pants off when you're the one who lied?!" is very folksy. It has some really great backing vocals from Pink Nasty (who is worth seeking out).

White Flight, the current project from Roelofs? It's really and truly unclassifiable. I dare you to try. I can only say it's great, bright yet dark and will mostly get you off your seat and on your feet... or something.

White Flight's self titled record comes into physical form on March 6th on Range Life, but the kind folks who distribute the album (a little label called Saddle Creek) will give it to you 2 weeks early if you preorder.

{buy the anniversary recordings on insound}
{buy white flight recordings from saddle creek}

The Only Children

MP3: The Only Children - Mr Paige

Today's mp3 is a b-side from The Only Children. Well, it turned up as an a-side on a 45 they did for Art of the Underground, but it was a jam that was recorded during the "Change Of Living" sessions but didn't make that record. It's one of my favourites from them and I wish this band would get bigger because I love what they're doing.

{buy the only children recordings on insound}