Hip, exciting  bands

The forthcoming arrival of the hot group My Chemical Romance for a one-night only performance in Taguig on Jan. 25 has sparked interest in other bands. And there are plenty. All of them young, talented and already boasting of hip, exciting albums described as among the best ever heard so early in their careers. Here are some of those CDs from groups, who I believe rock music lovers should pay close attention to.

Don’t You Fake by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: This is made up of Ronnie Winter on lead vocals; Elias Reidy on vocals and guitar; Duke Kitchens on guitar and vocals, Joey Westwood on bass and vocals; and Jon Wilkes on drums and vocals. I do not know what the name Red Jumpsuit Apparatus means. Those guys were probably just trying to be cute when they made it up. It now means something though. Not a red jumpsuit with some fancy attachment but a band kids love listening to.

In fact, they have already conquered Pinoys with two hits, Face Down, about domestic abuse and the love song Your Guardian Angel. These are typical of the hot, pulsating and quite innovative music found in the CD. These boys are not afraid to mix anything and because of that they come out sounding new. Other cuts are In Fate’s Hands, Waiting, False Pretense, Misery Loves Company, Cat and Mouse, Damn Regret, Atrophy, Seventeen Ain’t So Sweet and Justify.

Our Love to Admire by Interpol. I read somewhere that Interpol actually stands for “enter Paul.” It refers to lead singer and guitarist Paul Banks. You know, enter Paul and he starts to sing and strum his guitar. It was probably changed to Interpol to generate interest and for quick recall. Whatever. Paul plus Daniel Kessler on guitar and background vocals; Carlos D on bass and keyboards; and Sam Fogarino on drums got what they wanted, to make their music heard.

They make very angry songs that remind me of the nihilism that fuelled The Sex Pistols in the early days of punk but more dramatic. Frontman Paul stays taut throughout the dark set, his frustration, a complement to the mournful guitars. First hit out though is the playful The Heinrich Maneuver, which together with the snidley funny No. 1 in Threesome, are the CD’s brightest spots. Other titles are Pioneer to the Falls, The Scale, Mammoth Pace is the Trick, All Fired Up, Rest My Chemistry, Who Do You Think, Wrecking Ball and The Lighthouse.

Riot! by Paramore. Talk about young and innately musical. Soloist and songwriter and keyboard player Hayley Williams is only 17 and guys Josh Faro on lead guitar and background vocals; Jeremy Davis on bass; and Zac Faro on drums are all in their early 20s. They are the rock and rollers of the batch, bright and energetic with enormous songwriting savvy. They feel what they are singing about. Watch out for Williams. She has better vocal chops than Avril and should go far.

Riot! is the band’s second album and they have clearly hurdled the sophomore slump. CrushCrushCrush is hot while the well-produced Misery Business and Miracle are probably what earned the group the Best New Artist nomination at the Grammys. Also included are For a Pessimist I’m Pretty Optimistic, That’s What You Get, Hallelujah, When It Rains, Let the Flames Begin, Miracle, We are Broken, Fences and Born for This.

Good Morning Revival by Good Charlotte. Okay Purists, stop the carping. I know these guys should not be here. Based on early albums, The Young and the Hopeless and The Chronicles of Life and Death, the music of Good Charlotte is actually more pop than rock. But then Good Morning Revival is more rock than their usual stuff. Besides I could not help but be curious. So I listened.

I checked on the break up songs in it that might refer to lead vocalist Joel Madden’s break up with Disney’s Lizzie MaGuire star Hilary Duff. Those could be Broken Hearts Parade and Where Would We Be. There might also be falling in love songs inspired by Joel’s later relationship with Nicole Richie. Those should be Keep Your Hands Off My Girl and the title track.

But even if tabloid items had anything to do with Madden’s work in the album, Good Morning Revival has Madden, his twin brother Benji on lead guitar and background vocals; Billy Martin on rhythm guitar and keyboards; Paul Thomas on bass guitar; and Dean Butterworth on drums and percussion making the transition to mature stuff.

Other cuts included are Misery, The River, Dance Floor Anthem, Break Apart Her Heart, Victims of Love All Black, Beautiful Place, Something Else and March On.