Chris Fallon
07/17/09, 03:20 AM
For.The.Win. - The Black and the Blue
Record Label: Asian Man/Solidarity
Release Date: April 17, 2009
Who?
Not only is the scenery in San Francisco gorgeous, but for those of us who feast on punk... the Bay Area is practically our haven; our Graceland if you will. Dead Kennedys, Green Day, Lagwagon, NOFX... you get the idea -- it's a mecca for melodic punk rock that supplies a plethora of memorable hooks, all while giving us plenty to talk about. Introduce yourself to For.The.Win., surely a future candidate in the Bay Area Punk Rock Hall of Fame, and one of the most recent leading acts in the "posicore" genre.
How is it?
Delivering a beatdown that will leave you refreshed and rejuvenated after 21 minutes of in-your-face motivation, For.The.Win. stick to keeping it real. The production value is rather cleaned-up for a "core" record, and from the get-go, the disc sounds like it's speaking directly to its audience. Rough around the edge? Sure, but "posicore" is done with the flair of hardcore and the good-nature of pop-punk, rounding every angle out to abbreviate the edgy, unsanded nicks & scratches. Hey, not too many bands can spruce up a two-minute kicker and make it sound like an opus ("Burned at Both Ends").
Kicking the ass of all despair and hopelessness, this Bay Area three-piece is determined to soak up all those basement feelings and ensure you feel good about everything at the end of the day. Honest, heartfelt and still managing to pack a wallop, hollow guitars, splashes of percussion and throaty vocals make this one of the most energizing punk efforts you are bound to hear this side of Supporting Caste.
Besides some fine-tuning that could have been used behind the boards ("Attack" has an irritating snare that distracts from the rest of the song), For.The.Win. are a gang vocal motivation group that wants to shake you of all your sorrows. "For the Win" is a wake-up call/slap to the face; "I'm An Outsider" plays like Hot Water Music covering Sum 41; and "Another Day" is an exercise in whiplash-driven positivity. For.The.Win. takes a trip to the local Bay Area punk well, and does their own take all while being the new voice of a new crop. In their own words, "Stay gold."
Hot Water Music; Avail; early Rise Against; Set Your Goals -- all mixed with a bit of Kill 'Em All (well, at times)."Burned at Both Ends," "For the Win" and "Dirty Rock and Roll"
1. Let It Begin
2. Another Day
3. Choke
4. Attack
5. For the Win
6. I'm An Outsider
7. Burned at Both Ends
8. Pick This Lock
9. Dirty Rock and Roll
10. Neckline
11. Die YoungWayne Arms: guitar/vocals
Jake Prick: bass/vocals
Nate Terror: drums/vocals (*replaced by Justin "Ducky" Amans)
Official Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/bayareaposicore)Amazon MP3 (http://www.amazon.com/The-Black-the-Blue/dp/B0028EOO44/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1247825769&sr=301-1)
Record Label: Asian Man/Solidarity
Release Date: April 17, 2009
Who?
Not only is the scenery in San Francisco gorgeous, but for those of us who feast on punk... the Bay Area is practically our haven; our Graceland if you will. Dead Kennedys, Green Day, Lagwagon, NOFX... you get the idea -- it's a mecca for melodic punk rock that supplies a plethora of memorable hooks, all while giving us plenty to talk about. Introduce yourself to For.The.Win., surely a future candidate in the Bay Area Punk Rock Hall of Fame, and one of the most recent leading acts in the "posicore" genre.
How is it?
Delivering a beatdown that will leave you refreshed and rejuvenated after 21 minutes of in-your-face motivation, For.The.Win. stick to keeping it real. The production value is rather cleaned-up for a "core" record, and from the get-go, the disc sounds like it's speaking directly to its audience. Rough around the edge? Sure, but "posicore" is done with the flair of hardcore and the good-nature of pop-punk, rounding every angle out to abbreviate the edgy, unsanded nicks & scratches. Hey, not too many bands can spruce up a two-minute kicker and make it sound like an opus ("Burned at Both Ends").
Kicking the ass of all despair and hopelessness, this Bay Area three-piece is determined to soak up all those basement feelings and ensure you feel good about everything at the end of the day. Honest, heartfelt and still managing to pack a wallop, hollow guitars, splashes of percussion and throaty vocals make this one of the most energizing punk efforts you are bound to hear this side of Supporting Caste.
Besides some fine-tuning that could have been used behind the boards ("Attack" has an irritating snare that distracts from the rest of the song), For.The.Win. are a gang vocal motivation group that wants to shake you of all your sorrows. "For the Win" is a wake-up call/slap to the face; "I'm An Outsider" plays like Hot Water Music covering Sum 41; and "Another Day" is an exercise in whiplash-driven positivity. For.The.Win. takes a trip to the local Bay Area punk well, and does their own take all while being the new voice of a new crop. In their own words, "Stay gold."
Hot Water Music; Avail; early Rise Against; Set Your Goals -- all mixed with a bit of Kill 'Em All (well, at times)."Burned at Both Ends," "For the Win" and "Dirty Rock and Roll"
1. Let It Begin
2. Another Day
3. Choke
4. Attack
5. For the Win
6. I'm An Outsider
7. Burned at Both Ends
8. Pick This Lock
9. Dirty Rock and Roll
10. Neckline
11. Die YoungWayne Arms: guitar/vocals
Jake Prick: bass/vocals
Nate Terror: drums/vocals (*replaced by Justin "Ducky" Amans)
Official Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/bayareaposicore)Amazon MP3 (http://www.amazon.com/The-Black-the-Blue/dp/B0028EOO44/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1247825769&sr=301-1)