Kids of Survival-"Deliver the Message"
Kids of Survival are a power pop/punky band out of Rockaway, Queens. They’re a four piece, two guitarists (Vin and Frank), bassist/vocals (Gary) and drums (Dylan). This is their second record, and there’s a marked difference between the two. The first record (Good ‘Til Your Heart Pops), in a lot of ways, seemed to follow a lot of the music and lyrics choices of the nouveau punk bands of the moment, which ain’t such a bad thing, if you like that sorta thing. The record came out in 2005, and the four years since then really show. The time spent touring and woodshedding bears out in the product. The drums pop, especially on tracks like “The Code and the Key”, where Dylan switches up the straightforward rhythms of the first record for something that sounds more like rhumba or samba. Vin and Frank often divide the sonic territory, Vin occupying a higher, trebly-er register, and Frank claiming a lower, growlier frequency, almost into bass territory. “Always True” really strikes me in this way, you can hear Vin playing the same riff on top of the song, and this lower end guitar sound underneath it. Gary’s vocals, though, are often the real star. He comes over the top of the music with this amazing baritone that even strays into falsetto on occasion.
And the song titles. They really get to me, especially “The Only True Currency In This Bankrupt World Is Stuff You Share With Someone Else When You’re Both Uncool.” I loved Almost Famous, and this is one of the lines Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s Lester Bangs laid on Patrick Fugit’s character in the movie. It means that you share something important and awesome with someone, especially at your worst moments. This record occurs to me as something the band wants to give the kids who like them, almost as a gift. Something to say “Yeah, this is gonna be awesome! You’re gonna love this!” This is a record they made for their fans and for themselves as well. Open up. You’re gonna love it too.
Song samples can be found at http://www.shockhound.com/albums/298577-kids-of-survival-mp3s-deliver-the-message
And the song titles. They really get to me, especially “The Only True Currency In This Bankrupt World Is Stuff You Share With Someone Else When You’re Both Uncool.” I loved Almost Famous, and this is one of the lines Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s Lester Bangs laid on Patrick Fugit’s character in the movie. It means that you share something important and awesome with someone, especially at your worst moments. This record occurs to me as something the band wants to give the kids who like them, almost as a gift. Something to say “Yeah, this is gonna be awesome! You’re gonna love this!” This is a record they made for their fans and for themselves as well. Open up. You’re gonna love it too.
Song samples can be found at http://www.shockhound.com/albums/298577-kids-of-survival-mp3s-deliver-the-message