The Seven Song Itch - My Friend Emo

Inadvertently I’ve been a fan of Emo for a long time, I just didn’t know it.  So what is emo?  This genre of music, based off of hard-core punk, originated in the Washington D.C. area in the mid to late eighties where it was known as "emotional hardcore" or "emocore" and pioneered by bands such as Rites of Spring and Embrace.  The next wave of Emo really took off (like a runaway teenager), with bands like Jimmy Eat World and Dashboard Confessional in the early nineties.  Punk rock musicians were finally starting to learn how to play their instruments, not that I mind the raw nature of punk, and were now starting to have a more emotional confessionary lyrical content.  Again, there are a myriad of artists that can fit into this category (though some them would argue that they are not “emo”), so I want to focus on the new millennium pop-punk-emo bands.  I have to thank my friend Crysta for giving me a starting off point and I have included her song selections in the playlist link below.

Playlist for My Friend Emo

1. Jimmy Eat World – “The Middle”(2001)

This has got to be one of my favorite tunes—it’s just so catchy.  The message of this song is summed by a quote from fellow writer’s novel that states, “You don’t have to get it all right, all at once.”  Originally this band had a harder edge but the current lineup, which features Jim Adkins (lead vocalist and guitarist), Tom Linton (guitarist and backing vocalist), Rick Burch (bassist) and Zach Lind (drummer), has a more polished and melodic sound.

2. Good Charlotte – “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous”(2002)

Based off of a syndicated TV show, hosted by Robin Leach and Shari Belafonte, in the early eighties and nineties, this song focuses on an ironic ‘poor-little-rich-kid’ mentality and how pathetic their whining can be.  The band, however, formed in 1996, has released five studio albums and consistently is one of the forerunners of the genre.  This song, written by Benji Madden (guitarist) and Joel Madden (vocalist) is taken from their second studio album “The Young and the Hopeless.”

3. American Hi-Fi – “The Art Of Losing”(2003)

For a tune about losing, this song has found a lot of popularity.  The title song off of their second album has been featured in the movies “Freaky Friday” (2003), “American Wedding” (2003), the movie trailers of “The Perfect Score” (2004), “Fever Pitch” (2005), “Hot Rod” (2007), “Mr. Woodcock” (2007), and “Speed Racer” (2008), and in one episode of the TV show “Malcolm in the Middle.”  I would say that this is a real winning/whining accomplishment.

4. My Chemical Romance - "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)"(2004)

The band, featuring Gerard Way (Vocals), Ray Toro (Guitar), Frank Iero (Guitar), and Mikey Way (Bass), is named for a quote in an Irvine Welsh novel named “Ecstasy: Three Tales of Chemical Romance.”  Way has publicly rejected the term "emo", by describing the genre as "fucking garbage,” however, he has also been quoted as describing the band’s sound as "What-else-ya-got-emo."  This particular song showcases the evolution of emo as it now incorporates stylized screaming into the vocals, which I think is very affective in trying to convey something that is not okay.

5. Fall Out Boy – “Sugar, We're Goin Down”(2005)

Emo escapes from the suburbs and lands right smack dab on the pop charts.  Hailing from Wilmette, Illinois, the band consists of Patrick Stump (vocalist, guitarist and composer), Pete Wentz (bassist and lyricist), Joe Trohman (guitarist), and Andy Hurley (drummer). I love the ironic and other literary aspects of their lyrics as they convey quirky and yet personal stories—it’s quite puny.  Currently on hiatus, all of the band members keep busy with their own side projects, but hopefully they will reunite with renewed vigor and spawn plethora of catchy tunes.  Regardless of genre, they are a good solid group.

Concert Review: BelieversNever Die part Deux: Fall Out Boy.

6. She Wants Revenge – “These Things”(2006)

Though not technically emo, this band epitomizes a lot of the aspects of the genre.  Based in San Fernando Valley, California, the group’s self titled debut (2006) features three distinct singles “Out of control,” “Tear You Apart”, as well as this gem.  The video of this song, directed by Joaquin Phoenix, includes an appearance of Shirley Manson (Garbage) and has a kind of hallucinogenic aspect to it.  Though there are only two lead members Justin Warfield (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Adam Bravin (bass guitar, keyboards, guitar, drum machine, percussion, programming, vocals) they have a full sound and have toured with a number of artists, which include Depeche Mode and Placebo.

7. A.F.I. – “The Missing Frame” (2007)

This song fires on all cylinders, which is ironic considering that the group’s proper title is A Fire Inside.  It’s big, loud, introspective, and a bunch of emotive descriptive words that I really don’t have time to get into.  There is a major U2 influence (around the time of “The Unforgettable Fire”[1984]) on this track, so it speaks to one of my major influential source bands.  There have been a few line-up changes over the band’s twenty year career, but Davey Havok (lead vocalist) and Adam Carson (drummer and backup vocalist) are the only constant members of the group.  The band enjoyed its first major commercial with their album “Sing the Sorrow”(2003), but it was “Decemberunderground”(2006), which includes this single, that cemented their presence on the music scene.

CD Review: Decemberundreground

Crysta’s Seven Song Itch (My Friend Emo)

1. My Chemical Romance – “I Never Told You What I Do For A Living”

2. Penecy Prep – “19”

3. From First To Last – “Failure By Designer Jeans”

4. Hawthorne Heights – “Ohio Is For Lovers”

5. Good Charlotte – “My Bloody Valentine”

6. Taking Back Sunday – “Cute Without The E”

7. Fall Out Boy – “Grand Theft Autumn / Where Is Your Boy”

List of some EMO Bands:

This is a list that I borrowed from Wikipedia, and I don’t agree with the label for some of these bands, but this is a good start if you want to get in touch with your inner self-deprecating child.

30 Seconds to Mars, The Academy Is..., Acceptance, Ace Troubleshooter, A Day to Remember, AFI, Alesana, Alexisonfire, The All-American Rejects, All Time Low, The Almost, American Football, Anberlin, And Then There Were None, ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, The Anniversary, Amber Pacific, The Appleseed Cast, Armor for Sleep, As Cities Burn, At the Drive-In, Beefeater, Before Their Eyes, Beloved, Benton Falls, Braid, Brand New, Boys Like Girls, Boys Night Out, Capital Lights, Cap'n Jazz, Chasing Victory, Christie Front Drive, City of Caterpillar, The Classic Crime, Coheed and Cambria, Cobra Starship, Cute Is What We Aim For, Dag Nasty, Dashboard Confessional, Dead Poetic, Dear Ephesus, Death Cab for Cutie, The Dismemberment Plan, Dizmas, Drive Like Jehu, , Edison Glass, Eisley, Elliott, Emanuel, Embrace, Emery, Escape the Fate, Ever Stays Red, Every Avenue, Falling Up, Family Force 5, Fall Out Boy, Fireflight, Fire Party, Flyleaf, The Fold, Forever Changed, Forever the Sickest Kids, The Fray, From Autumn to Ashes, Funeral for a Friend, Further Seems Forever, Garden Variety, The Get Up Kids, Gray Matter, Gwen Stacy, Haste the Day, Hawk Nelson, Hawthorne Heights, He Is Legend, Hellogoodbye, Hey Mercedes, Hoover, House of Heroes, I Am Ghost, Ida, Indian Summer, Ivoryline, Jawbreaker, Jimmy Eat World, Joan of Arc, The Juliana Theory, Karate, Kids in the Way, Killswitch Engage, Kingface, Kiros, Kutless, Letter Kills, Life in Your Way, Lifetime, Lostprophets, The Love Letter Refuge, Lunchmeat, Mae, Matchbook Romance, Mayday Parade, Metro Station, Krystal Meyers, Mineral, Moss Icon, The Movielife, My Chemical Romance, Native Nod, New Found Glory , Noise Ratchet, Northstar , Nude , Number One Gun, Once Nothing, OneRepublic, Our Last Night, Owl City, Panic! at the Disco, Paramore, Pg. 99, Philmont, Pierce the Veil, Pillar, Pop Unknown, The Promise Ring, Rainer Maria, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Relient K, Rites of Spring, Rye Coalition, Saetia, Saosin, Saves the Day, Say Anything, Secret and Whisper, Senses Fail, Showbread, Sherwood, The Shyness Clinic, Silverstein, Simple Plan, Something Corporate, The Spill Canvas, Squirrel Bait, The Starting Line, Stavesacre, Story of the Year, Sunny Day Real Estate, Switchfoot, Taking Back Sunday, Ten Second Epic, Texas Is the Reason, This Beautiful Republic, This Providence, There for Tomorrow, Thrice, Tokio Hotel, Thursday, Underoath, The Used, The Van Pelt, Weezer, Watashi Wa, The Wedding, You and, You, Me, and Everyone We Know.

The Seven Song Itch - Teen Angst Bullshit

I grew up on John Hughes movies, loved them, but he wasn’t saying anything new; high school is a microcosm of the ‘real world’—whatever that is.  Then another filmmaker released “Heathers” (1989) and I realized that social cliques don’t have to be the ‘end-all-be-all’ of my existence.  Winona Ryder played “Veronica” and was part of the school’s strongest clique – ‘The Heathers.’  This movie has a ton of great quotes, but I want to focus on one of her monologues, which states, “Dear Diary, my teen angst bullshit has a body count!” No, I didn’t want anyone to die in my high school, but the movie was a great commentary on how ridiculous things can get when you are a teenager.  For all practical purposes, if you survive high school, the rest of your life is simpler by comparison, but not any easier.  With bullying and intolerance on the rise (Check out the current movie “Bully”), the problems that plague an average teenager on a daily basis can be a bit daunting.  Sometimes a song can give you perspective in your situation.  There is nothing new, or innovative, about these songs, but they do convey the classic story of how life can suck when you think you have it figured out.  Yeah, there are a lot of Punk Rock Songs that deal with this issue, but I wanted a bit of levity with my angst.  These songs border on EMO, but we’re not going to go there…yet.  Eskimo!

 

P.S. This list is dedicated to the memory of Dick Clark—the world’s oldest Teenager. May his legacy live on in the youth of today!  Playlist for Teen AngstBullshit

1. Wheatus - “Teenage Dirtbag”(2000)

I swear this video is a depiction of my high school experience; it has the teen angst bullshit quality to it.  I have finally realized something about high school—no one has it easy. Even if you are popular there are always parts of you life that are undesirable.  I’d like to think that I was one of those parts that made people feel awkward in high school, because I was a punk before punk was cool.  It didn’t bother me that they didn’t want to hang around with me, because honestly, I didn’t want to hang around with them.  Eventually, curiosity gets the best of everyone and discussions of my blue spiky hair and leather jacket got a dialogue going.  I’m not saying that I became friends with other cliques, but some of the rock music buttons that I was wearing on my jacket were some of the same bands that other people were listening to at the time.  You can find common ground in any situation; you just have to be open to the possibility.

2. Live on Release - "I'm Afraid of Britney Spears" (2001)

This song is from the soundtrack of “Dude, Where’s My Car?” Though I like a good Top-40 song, this one is a great commentary on popular culture.  Mostly, high school is all about fitting in to a particular group, but in reality, it’s so much easier to just be yourself.  It’s really easy to jump on the bandwagon and define yourself by the music you listen to, but you are your own story.  It’s okay to try new things, and never be afraid of liking what you like.  Heck, I like the bands that Live On Release comment about in this song.  To me, music is all-good, but remember not to get caught up in the trends of the day, or to take an artist too seriously. This band is no longer around, but each of the members has moved on and continues to create great music.  One person in particular, Britt Black, went on to play guitar with Bif Naked, and then evolved into her own solo career.

3. Simple Plan - “I'm Just A Kid”(2002)

This is a song from the movie, “The New Kid,” and the music video has some great cameo appearances by the actors from that movie.  The video is an over-the-top dramatization of some unfortunate circumstances a teenager goes though when trying to understand his place in the pecking order of life.  What he doesn’t realize is that a lot of other people feel the same way about their life, and he doesn’t need to suffer alone.  Sometimes you have to just put yourself out there and have faith that you’ll get the girl at the end of the story…sometimes.

4. Fountains Of Wayne - “Stacy's Mom”(2003)

Let your cougars roar! This song has the feel of  “Just What I Needed” by The Cars, and pays homage to the movie, “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”(1982).  Yeah, I was fascinated with an adult female figure (no pun intended) growing up, but it never went anywhere.  I think it’s healthy to look, but not touch, in these situations.  Parents have a hard time (again, no pun intended) discussing sex with their kids and having an outlet to explore your feelings is only natural—just don’t let it become an obsession.  With stories of older instructors (both male and female) embracing their youthful students (both male and female) plaguing the news, I can’t help but think that we’ve all gotten the wrong message about intimacy.  You can be inspired by someone, who is an authority figure, but don’t cross the line, because it can have terrible consequences.

5. Bowling For Soup - “High School Never Ends”(2006)

Oh my Lord, this is true, but you don’t have to let cliques get you down.  A few years ago, I attended my high school reunion and I was fascinated by how I just slipped back into some arbitrary pecking order when I walked into the room.  As the evening went on, I realized that a lot of the people, whom I had grown up with, were more than the clique that they had aligned themselves with back then.  It’s really easy to slip back into old routines, but just because we were one thing back then, does not mean that we are the same person now.  Life gives you a myriad of experiences and it’s up to you to learn from them.  I have moved on, and you can too.

6. The Actual - “This Is The Worst Day Of My Life”(2007)

I love the misery loves company concept here.  Sometimes a situation can seem contradictory in your reaction to angst, but it’s all-good.  I’m not sure if this is a please-feel-sorry-for-me song or a commiseration manifesto.  In any case, you don’t have to be alone in your angst; you can invite a bunch of people over and have a pity party.  Maybe I should just listen to some EMO music and in comparison my life will seem much much better.  Check out an interview that I did with Max from the band back in 2007.  Click here for the interview.

7. Hey Monday - “How You Love Me Now”(2009)

I love the spunky nature of this band.  I saw them a few years ago under the guise of being stealth chaperone for my friend’s daughter—it was her first concert.  I wish that I had a cool uncle to take me to a rock show when I was growing up, but alas, I didn’t.  During the concert, I remembered this song and its commentary on how stupid lust can make us.  Yeah, we’re all horny teenagers, but there are consequences for our actions.  It’s not until later on in life that we discover the difference between lust and love, but then again, some people never realize the concept.  Oh well, there is enough drama to go around.  Besides, I met a few cool single mom’s that were at this concert for the same reason that I was, and it was a great bonding experience.

Bonus Video: Jimmy Eat World - “The Middle” (2001)

I wanted to include this song, because there is hope out there.  “It just takes some time,” to work though everything.  Sometimes it’s hard to gain perspective when you are in the middle of some teen angst bullshit, but remember, this too shall pass and that life is a roller coaster—it has it up’s as well as it’s downs.  Just how cliché am I going to get?