- Never would thought that these guys would be able to transition into a solid, heavy, melodic rock band in the span of just two full-lengths from the mess that was Rise or Die Trying (still one of my favorite reviews). But hey – if THE WONDER YEARS could make such a remarkable improvement from their earliest material, then FOUR YEAR STRONG deserve similar applause as well…

TRANSIT – Listen & Forgive (Rise): I hate when I have to confront my own preferences for how a band should sound. I didn’t ask TRANSIT to change their sound from fast melodic pop-punk/hardcore to the melodic rock/emo hybrid that dominates Listen & Forgive , but they went and did it anyway. The results are in fact very good and vocalist Joe Boynton establishes himself as a guy who can truly sing and command. Lush instrumentation brings to me AMERICAN FOOTBALL and THE GET UP KIDS, while the band takes a page from HOSTAGE CALM’s on transition on a few songs as well. It feels like deja vu from 2001, when SAVES THE DAY transitioned from Through Being Cool to Stay What You Are. Let’s hope for TRANSIT’s sake that they handle burdening success with greater focus.

NIGHT BIRDS – The Other of Side of Darkness (Grave Mistake): It’s kind of shocking to me how little “traditional” punk rock I actually listen to on a daily basis, but dammit if NIGHT BIRDS aren’t giving their best efforts to change that. The aggressive, quick-footed, surf/horror/garage influenced punk rock band impresses dearly on their full-length debut.  With its 13 tracks peppering your brain for a brief 22 minutes, the band never lets off the pedal and the snarling, sneering vocals have an addictive quality. Just as engaging are the pointed lyrics which switch between personally or socially reflective with “Landfill Land” being one of the most relevant as it rages against sprawl and industrial wasteland.  Grave Mistake’s track record on full-length releases is virtually bulletproof, and Darkness is no exception.

- Skate-friendly Dutch melodicore. Think of RKL, PROPAGHANDHI, NOFX, etc. Adrenaline boost material…

For those who are fans of the ESPN show Pardon the Interruption, below is a must see video of some of the best “opens” over the show’s ten year run, which was celebrated last week. Here’s to ten more years of one of the best shows to ever hit television…

I’m happy to announce that Katie Anne Ellsweig will be writing a number of guest columns for Pastepunk. She is currently a publicist at Adrenaline PR, and I got to know when she was a music editor for the zine Wonka Vision in 2006-2007, and even before that, during a stint Punkbands.com (which sadly, no longer appears to be around). Her first column is below (or here) and features Beau Kuther, currently of WATER AND BODIES and previously of KADDISFLY fame.

Each one of us is a portion of a whole; a fraction of an ongoing story and a conjunction to the various chapters which make up our lives. The way we live, the choices we make and the way we inspire ourselves and other people are what defines which part of the puzzle we will be. This column is about sharing stories and having conversations about music, life and the occasional nerd-out. No math skills required.

Beau Kuther watches “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, wears a lot of hats and works at a Portland Brewery. Like most people from Oregon, he’s got it bad for Mother Nature. Beau is also a drummer. For ten years, Beau has played music with his brother and closest friends in a band born as KADDISFLY (Hopeless Records) which has since matured into WATER AND BODIES. He has been flat broke, broken down, robbed blind and sent home with little more than dirty laundry and a broken padlock. He has teetered on the edge of fame before having his heart crushed in an instant decision. He has been shattered, frustrated and angry. But Beau has also been inspired. He has seen the world from the window of a van and shared countless stages with his brother and his best friends. He has not given up. He will not give up; this is the fight of his life. This is his portion of a whole.

More after the jump…

- Contrary to what one might think, “Bongoshot” is not an under the radar straight-edge anthem…

Here’s something out of left field I imagine for most Pastepunk readers… COEUS THE BOXING TITAN are a prog/electronic/noise influenced rock band with the group checking KING DIAMOND and FAITH NO MORE as influences. Normally not my bag of donuts, I like the somewhat subtle rolling flow to this hour long full-length.

The Boxing Titan Spawns LP by Coeus the Boxing Titan