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Hook-laden and propulsive Punk from Vancouver BC is the order of the day here. These lads are angry, young and poor and all they can do to alleviate the pain and suffering of living through another day of misery is to therapeutically hammer out these tales of woe. I don't really find myself listening to stuff like this all that often, but when it's played with this much heart and passion, I can't help but bang my head. Over the years, the sound these guys are creating has been called many things. Pop Punk, Beard Punk, Gruff, Melodic Hardcore... Whatever you want to label it, Flagpolers are doing it well. If you have ever found yourself enjoying the sounds of Leatherface, Hot Water Music, 88 Fingers Louie or even Small Brown Bike, I don't see why you wouldn't like this.
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Bellingham, Washington is beautiful. Rookie Town are from Bellingham and are also beautiful. I was lucky enough to bear witness to their awesome power when they played my birthday show with Mahria back in July. They are wonderful men with a true love and passion for what they do. It really shines through in the songs on their first full-length. 'New Forest Floors' contains re-recordings of the songs from their earlier EP as well as a few new ones. If I didn't love those earlier songs enough already, I sure as shit love the hell out of them now. Everything feels so much fuller, so much more pronounced.
Quite often, I find it difficult to recycle the same old tired lines from review to review. Such-and-such plays "Skramz" with "Blackened Hardcore" flourishes while this band brings the breakdowns and the emotive vocal delivery while staying true to the early 90's Emo sound... At this point, everything could be classified "Post-Hardcore" or "Post-Sludge" or "Post-Whatever..." The thing about Rookie Town though is that, to me, they really do play Post-Hardcore. I have detected no less than five different styles being explored and expanded on throughout this record. Everything from 90's twinkly Emo to raw, throat-shredding Screamo to melodic, poppy Hardcore to odd, meandering Post-Rock to an almost Alternative/Grunge thing every so often have all found their way into these songs with nary a hint of awkwardness. I don't know many bands who can pull off the sort of genre-bending these guys have been perfecting over the last couple years.
I can't recommend this record enough!! It is certainly going to make my best of list for 2012!!!
If you have ever enjoyed The Movielife, As Friends Rust, Kolya, On The Might Of Princes, Indian Taker, Troubled Coast, Verse, Defeater or Make Do And Mend, I am certain you will find something here to enjoy!!
Love you guys!! Can't wait to see you again.
