Boy Howdy, it has been quite a week for music

I wanted to shoot this one off kind of quick before I left work just because I really wanted to share some of the amazing things I have been talking about all week.

First off, the new Riot Before album "Rebellion" is absolutely a great album. The lyrics are sharp, the songs are great and overall there is a definite great feel to the album. They know how to craft the right kinda song. Upbeat tempos with the right changes in feel to them at just the right time. This is really a great album to be coming out in the spring. It just has the feel. I read this week that comparisons to these guys and Against Me! are inevitable, which is true. But honestly, that is not a band thing. Imagine the early albums of AM! without the politics and slightly less rough. There is that jangly, upbeat feel to the music. It feels almost familiar, while being new and exciting all at the same time.

Speaking of Against Me! their new ep "I was a teenage anarchist" is really a strong offering. The songs to me sound like a band that has grown up. There is still that bite to the lyrics with clever lines spouting up, but the music has changed a little. Not in a bad way, just less of a hectic pace and more of a "midwestern punk" feel to it. I feel almost like bits and pieces could find a home on any alkaline trio album. There is just a different sound to this band than "new wave" I am having a hard time explaining it, but for lack of a better word, the songs just sound like they were made by a band that is happy and having fun.

Hands down the best album I have heard this week and so far this year is the new Menzingers album "Chamberlain Waits." I really have nothing more I can say about this album. It fucking rocks. There is a little something for everyone; catchy singalongs, screaming, music that makes you want to tap your foot, nod your head and move around. This is really a band that has come into their own and I would not be surprised if they started really taking off thanks to this album. I really, really love this album.