hadn’t checked tumblr in a while, but all my Wonder Years posts seem to get a lot of love. well-deserved love, certainly.
i screen shotted the chunk with the least NSFW names… still got a few in here haha. it’s for the kiddies, guys.
is this what it’s like to be popular? pt II.
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can’t freakin get enough of these guys. i’ve been feeling like i’m stuck trying to grow up for months now, but just can’t get a foothold.
needless to say no music is as relatable as the stuff out of the wonder years.
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easily one of the most powerful lines from an already peerless pop-punk force.
the wonder years, you are the greatest.
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@twypoppunk this meme is already old, but this caption is so, so good haha.
]]>check out a new track from @twypoppunk, “me vs the highway”.
i love these guys. the wonder years are absolutely at the forefront of pop-punk’s second coming. solid new song.
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@twypoppunk super epic moment: i’m pretty sure dan campbell breaks a light bulb with his fist. this song has been the anthem of the last six months for me.
if you haven’t seen the fantastic new video for “came out swinging”, let me help. http://bit.ly/An3Fw4
]]>@twypoppunk: “Suburbia, stop pushing.”
i really can’t believe how good the wonder years are.
i keep listening to other pop punk/punk groups and time and time again, i find myself listening to this raging philadelphian sextet. frontman dan “soupy” campbell’s lyrics are poignant and unapologetic, emotionally rooted yet surprisingly un-whiny in any way. in just the last few weeks, i’ve found myself quoting them, thinking about some of the lines that resonate with me, writing fb statuses with their lyrics and posting the occasional music video. TWY, they’re that good. it doesn’t hurt that with their junior effort, campbell strives to be a new generation’s allen ginsburg. the lyrical resemblance is clear, but infused with such passion that TWY takes the listener to depths generally unheard of in the genre.
the first TWY album i picked up, The Upsides, drew me in with 11th track home run, “Washington Square Park”, equal parts hopeful, thoughtful, and powerful. from there, campbell’s sing-and-shout-yourself-hoarse vocals and electrifying lyricism layered with intelligently arranged punk parts [not so fresh that it’s alienating, but not so tired that it sounds like a cookie cutter album] brought me fully into fandom after just a few listens. i couldn’t get enough.
The Upsides special edition featured the GEM of a bonus track “I was Scared, and I’m Sorry”, which was easily one of the favorite new songs in my library last year, and looked to remain on the shortlist for this year…or so i thought, until Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing was released mid-2011. with just one listen i was sure the third full-length would rank for top albums of the year in my book. sure enough, as far as pop-punk was concerned, few other contenders even came close.
campbell and the boys were back in full force with the outrageously powerful and aptly named opener , titled “Came Out Swinging”. just as i expected, the video was homey and nostalgic at the same time, like the curious feeling of returning to your childhood house and not being sure if you belong.
the second song to stick out through the first listen was track 10, “Don’t Let Me Cave In”, a strangely haunting driver with unforgettable hooks and the eloquent yet simple style that has been pushing TWY toward punk rock kingship.
just as The Upsides featured familiar places and major landmarks, SIGYAANIN highlighted memorable events and locations, revisited logan square, and, of course, had at least one track with campbell’s openly atheistic views on display. i don’t take offense to any of these tracks, since for the most part they’re either targeted toward westboro, whose teachings i couldn’t disagree with more, or toward rigid “religiousness”, the rites and traditions focused christian lifestyle which isn’t really what i believe in, either.
that’s a whole different discussion.
for now,
don’t let me cave in: official live video montage [a spectacle, to be clear]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeQ5BJdGoPE&feature=relmfu
i was scared, and i’m sorry: official lyrics video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RZ7Zt7UyOk&feature=related
buy the albums on amazon: the upsides is 12.99 for new physical; suburbia… is on sale for just 9.99.
until next time, cheers.
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