Throwback Thursday : Hop Along Reissues 2012 Debut Album

Coming early March (3/4/16) via Saddle Creek, Hop Along's jaw dropping roller coaster ride of a first album Get Disowned will be reissued. The formats include blue vinyl, CD, and cassette. You can pre-order them here.

Their most recent release Painted Shut won the hearts of many and earned them lots of new fans but this first record is hard to beat. Singer (also guitar player) Frances Quinlan's voice dive bombs and swoops as if a bird has been given the gift of flight for the first time. It is as if her throat has invented flight itself. Her lyrics are clever, personal, and ever surprising. You never know quite know what she is talking about, where she is going with her stories, and this all makes her poetry and attack of her words all the more captivating. Your ears will want to know what comes next because each turn is impossible to predict. These are not borrowed songs you have heard a hundred times before, Hop Along's distinct voice owns them outright. The band then acts as a tight bind to her magnificent songbook and together they make the musical version of a book you would file under modern American classics.

And the clincher? Withing the fingerprint that is wholly unique, there are sweeping choruses and melodies Weezer only wishes they had thought of first. If you liked Hop Along's newest release, you will LOVE this reissue.

Hop Along National Tour Dates

# = Headlining

* = w/ Dr. Dog

1/24: Columbus, OH @ Double Happiness #

1/25: St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway #

1/26: Norman, OK @ The Opolis #

1/29: Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory *

1/30: Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater *

1/31: Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst *

2/2: Reno, NV @ Cargo @ Whitney Peak Hotel *

2/3: Bend, OR @ Midtown Ballroom *

2/4: Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom *

2/5: Seattle, WA @ Neptune *

2/6: Vancouver, BC @ Venue *

2/8: Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory *

2/9: Boise, ID @ Neurolux #

2/11: Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge #

2/12: Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep #

2/13: Boulder, CO @ Boulder Theater *

2/16: Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theater *

2/17: Flagstaff, AZ @ The Orpheum Theater *

2/19: Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern *

2/20: San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park *

2/23: Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room #

2/24: Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop #

2/25: Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop #

3/17: Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore *

3/19: New York, NY @ Terminal 5 *

5/13-15: Atlanta, GA @ Shaky Knees Festival

5/27-30: George, WA @ Sasquatch! Music Festival

2015 Favorite : Menace Beach

Leeds, England band Menace Beach formed in 2012 when Liza Violet and friend Ryan Needham joined creative forces. The band line up has changed a few times over the years but at their core is this duo of a songwriting team whose debut album Ratworld has remained in my top 10 list of favorites for 2015. They also just released a new EP entitled Super Transporterreum that picks up where the full length left off. Their intertwined male/ female vocals deliver an endless chain of hooks on top of blazing, fuzzy guitar driven Pop. My two favorite things are present, harmony and NOISE! There are hints of Dino Jr,, Weezer and Veruca Salt grungy power pop sensibilities which makes for a really tough decision. Do you sing along or head bang? Screw it, I can to do both at the same time.

Band to Watch : Doe

How could you not love a band that has this bio? "We’re Doe. We’re from London. We like feminism, horror films and brown beer." 

And who is the band influenced by? Sleater-Kinney, Helium, Plumtree, Superchunk, Autoclave, (early) Weezer, Pixies, Breeders, Pavement, Bikini Kill

I'm sold. 

(and yes, I like cats too.) 

Stream all sorts of their records here.