Song Of The Week: Living Is Suicide - Dax Riggs

"Have mercy on the devil, he's a friend of mine."

With lyrics like "Have mercy on the devil, he's a friend of mine" and "If God looked upon us it would surely leave us blind", one might expect this song to sound dark and dreary, especially considering that Dax once fronted legendary extreme metal act Acid Bath. However, the music is surprisingly upbeat. Perched carefully between singer/songwriter and rock'n'roll, this is certainly no generic formula. The songwriting here is impeccable, as it is for Dax Rigg's entire debut solo album "We Sing Only of Blood or Love." It is a vast improvement over the final Deadboy and the Elephentmen album, which seems to be the only misstep in Dax's career. 

Song of the Week: Fear - I love Living In The City

This is an absolute classic of the punk genre. Depicting the grimy side of city life, this song sounds as grimy as its lyrics. The guitar solo sounds broken, which fits in with the theme perfectly. This song was shown live on the movie The Decline Of Western Civilization. This lead to their infamous performance on SNL. If your looking to hear the classics of old school punk, this is a song you need to hear.

Song Of The Week: Dead Kennedys - Kill The Poor

Dead Kennedys are one of the best (real) punk bands and also one of the best. Their music is catchy but never watered down. One problem I have with a lot of political punk bands is that their music often reads like essays. "This atrocity happened at this date and time, and this is why you should be outraged". Dead Kennedys don't play that shit. The messages their music gives is serious no doubt, but the way they get that message out is through satire. Their lyrics are funny. When bands try to shove their ideals down your throat, they often come off as preachy and standoffish. I mean some punk bands go as far as telling you your a terrible person if you eat meat. No, fuck you. I like my beef and broccoli, motherfucker.  

Anyway, this is what Dead Kennedys do best. Catchy Satire backed by awesome punk music. One of those songs that stick their way into your head and refuse to leave, and I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Song Of The Week: NOFX - Blasphemy (The Victimless Crime)

I know I'm a bit late for this, I promised I'd post these on Sunday.But better late than never, right? NOFX have been going since the 80s and are still going strong. Although their albums all have different flavours, they always stay true to their roots. Coaster is one hell of a fun album, also one hell of a funny one. With lyrics pondering if Tegan and Sarah have threesomes and calling the sexuality of metalheads into question (metal is the genre I listen to most, but hey, I can take a joke), the album is chock full of punchlines. They also have some less comical songs such as "My Orphan Year." They have good music to back up whatever their lyrics may be about. 

Its no secret that NOFX has a strong distain for religion. Along with "Best God In Show", this song satires the fuck out of organized religion. With lines like "Jesus Christ, the blackest Jew", "Mother Mary, the virgin whore" and "But I'll never make a crack about Mohammed, because I don't want to get shot in the chest", NOFX have no qualms about making people uncomfortable. This song is catchy, memorable and hilarious. 

Song of the Week: Black Keys - Psychotic Girl

Man, this is awesome. Bluesy, catchy and authentic sounding, this kicks a colossal amount of ass. Mainstream rock is in a really bad place right now. The 90s, with the grunge movement, felt like the last time when good rock was strong in the mainstream. For the 2000's I feel that the three bands were really keeping rock alive in the mainstream where Queens of the Stone Age, White Stripes (RIP) and The Black Keys. This song is The Black Keys at their best, its been stuck in my head for over a month.

Song Of The Week: Jess And The Ancient Ones - Devil (In G Minor)

While most of the album straddles the line between rock and metal, this song has little to do with either. Piano driven, Jess's voice shines through on this one. With a definite old time feel, this song certainly has personality. It may remind some of the better songs on Murder By Death's album "Who Will Survive, And What Will Be Left Of Them?" Their entire album is great, but this one stands out from the pack.

Song of the Week: Morning Glory - The Whole World Is Watching

So I'm going to start a tradition that on every Sunday I'll post a song of the week. Accompanying the youtube video will be some words on the song, maybe just a short blurb or perhaps a more in depth critique of the song; whatever I'm feeling at the time. 

Man, this is one of my favourite punk songs of all time. It becomes pretty obvious that this song is political when it starts out with a sample of a crowd chanting the protest slogan this song is named after. The slogan is most famous for its use in anti Vietnam War protests, but has more recently been used with Occupy Wall Street. This song is quite diverse, from its catchy as hell chorus to the Sex Pistol influenced riffing, from the Beatles inspired passage near the end to the (thankfully tasteful) ska section.  One of the finer songs to come out of the Crack Rock Steady bands with members coming out of Choking Victim.