Posts Tagged ‘A Day to Remember’
RBN Highlights: Goin’ Places, A Day to Remember, The Main Drag
The Rock Band Network is an invaluable source of new music but, perhaps because of the quantity of songs or the unfamiliar nature of the artists, it can be a little hard to find the type of music you want. As a tester and charter for the Rock Band Network, I get a lot of exposure to songs coming through the pipeline and there are definitely songs that deserve more recognition. This feature will help you discover new favorites, find a new challenge, and support the independent Rock Band scene. Each week I’ll highlight one new Xbox 360 song, one new PS3 song, and even a song released awhile back – all of them worthy of a listen!
Xbox 360: Goin’ Places – Relationship Sneakers
This was a strong week for RBN releases – from favorites such as Honest Bob to high profile bands like The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, there are many tracks worthy of your time and digital currency. The band Goin’ Places stands out, though, simply for its old-school punk tendencies, recalling early Green Day with Ramones influences.
Guitar features an awful lot of chords – lending it to guitar/vox combo – but it really doesn’t matter that there aren’t any solos or tricky parts. This song is pure fun and guitar doesn’t always need to be at the forefront of complicated patterns. Bass more than makes up for the chord-heavy guitar chart; the bass line bounces up and down the fretboard, again bringing to mind Dookie-era Mike Dirnt with both the sound and constant movement.
Drums feature a fast punk beat, with steady kickpedal and simple fills. It’s a bit of a stamina test – had the song been longer than three minutes then it could be pretty tiring. The last quarter of the song sees the pattern reduce down to a kick beat, giving your arms a bit of a rest.
Vocals are brilliant, especially the harmonies. Not only do you have the subject matter of the song – a pair of ‘lucky’ sneakers that will hopefully lead to getting laid – but the two vocalists are given a verse each to sing. The bridge is great – a simple bit of harmony similar to Twist and Shout ‘ahs’ which might take a few attempts but which will provide immediate results. If there was one song to make you realize you can sing harmonies, it’s this one.
This song is truly a blast to play and becomes even more fun as you add people in to the band. Better still, it’s only 80MSP which is a bargain even just for the harmonies!
Sounds like: Early Green Day
Perfect for: Harmonies, bass, full band
PS3: A Day to Remember – The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle
Another well-known band that’s been absolutely wonderful in their support of the Rock Band Network, A Day to Remember (ADTR) has multiple tracks spread throughout the Rock Band library. The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle features powerful, piercing guitar licks, blasting drums, resounding bass and a good blend of sung and screamed vocals.
Anyone looking for something that’s a faster tempo than usual, although not blisteringly difficult, should consider this song. The guitar is just about doable without alt-strumming although that would certainly help. There aren’t any tricky solos or impossible trills but the range of chords and transitions offer enough of a challenge. Bass follows the example of guitar – similar patterns albeit slightly simpler but with enough power to keep things fun.
Drums are a highlight; there’s plenty of quick snare hits and double-bass (albeit charted to single pedal) to ensure drummers get a chance to rock out. Watch out for broken sticks! If you’ve got the Pro Drum kit then the cymbals will get a bit of a workout but it all makes for a wonderfully loud track.
Vocalists will need to be able to go from confident high notes to full-on shouting while the harmonies manifest in gang vocal responses and multi-vocal choruses. Invite a few friends around and try to tackle this song but make sure the volume is up, the beer is flowing (drink responsibly!) and the neighbors out.
Sounds like: Check out the RB DLC The Downfall of Us All, or any of the other ADTR songs.
Perfect for: Drummers, vocalists
Throwback: The Main Drag – Car Windows
This week’s retro-pick is a little different than usual – not only is this song available for Rock Band, but it’s also part of the amazingly awesome Indie All-Stars Bundle featuring a staggering amount of music with some of the proceeds going to charity as well! Taken from the album Yours as Fast as Mine, Car Windows is my personal favourite track although it’s hard to narrow down that choice given the quality of the rest of the tracklist (especially What’s Your Favorite Dinosaur? that riffs on the Jurassic Park theme or the already familiar A Jagged Gorgeous Winter from Rock Band 2.)
Car Windows begins with an elegant guitar riff that seems simultaneously carefree and mournful. Again, it stands that acoustic guitar has a certain feel to it whenever it’s charted for Rock Band and this song is a perfect example of the intricacy that can be found away from electric guitars. The bass chart isn’t over-the-top but adds depth to the song. Drums tick along with a steady rhythm courtesy of Harmonix PR legend John Drake (who also charted the song for RBN) while the song is backed by a beautiful string quartet. It’s by no means the most complicated – or even raucous – of The Main Drag’s songs but its introspective tone is compelling and rather hard to find in Rock Band. The rest of the album is available for the RBN along with the follow-up LP You Are Underwater.
Definitely check out The Main Drag’s output on the RBN and don’t miss out on the incredible Indie All-Stars Bundle. Many of the other albums available in the bundle include Rock Band Network artists, some of which have been or will soon be featured as a recommendation. Click here to take a look!
Xbox 360 RBN DLC for 3/15
Sorry for the delay on posting the announcement for yesterday’s RBN releases.
Unless otherwise noted, all songs are 160 MSP ($1.99).
- A Day to Remember – The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle
- Bluefusion – Force *
- Rainbowdragoneyes – Creatures ov Deception (RB3 version) *
- Rainbowdragoneyes – Creatures ov Deception (RB3 2x Bass Pedal version) *
- RIBS – Brains Out *
- SNMT – SEX *
- Strikken – The Final Act *
- We Are The Storm – Galileo *
ROCK BAND NETWORK XBOX 360 3/15 PLAYLIST
PS3 RBN DLC for 12/13
All songs are $1.99. (This is the correct list this time. The previous post published on the site was the RBN DLC for next week. We’ll re-publish that again a week from today.)
- A Day to Remember – If It Means a Lot to You
- A Day to Remember – 2nd Sucks
- Alien Ant Farm – Movies
- August Burns Red – Internal Cannon
- Dance Gavin Dance – Heat Seeking Ghost of Sex
PS3 ROCK BAND NETWORK 12/13 PLAYLIST
PS3 RBN DLC for 12/6
Unless otherwise noted, all songs are $1.99.
- A Day to Remember – All Signs Point to Lauderdale
- Attack Attack! – Last Breath
- I Am Empire – The Elevator
- Parry Gripp – Space Unicorn *
- Thomas Walker – The Entertainer (Joplin) *
* Denotes 80 MSP ($.99) track.
ROCK BAND NETWORK 12/6 PS3 PLAYLIST
Xbox 360 RBN DLC for 10/27
Unless otherwise noted, all tracks are 160 MSP ($1.99). Songs not yet linked below will be included once RockBand.com has been updated.
- A Day To Remember – 2nd Sucks
- A Day To Remember – 2nd Sucks (2x Bass Pedal)
- A Day To Remember – If It Means a Lot to You
- Active Knowledge – Reality Down
- Between the Buried and Me – Selkies: The Endless Obsession
- Between the Buried and Me – Selkies: The Endless Obsession (2x Bass Pedal)
- The Bloody Five – Never Again *
- The Boyscout feat. Amanda Somerville – Blood Red Rose
- Glenn Case – Sweet Canadian Mullet *
- Halcyon Way – Death of a Dream *
- JOANovARC – Sisters
- Jocko of Sha Na Na – The Monster Stroll
- Mega64 – My Name’s Horatio, You Got Me, You Ain’t Got Nobody Else, So Deal With It, And Love It *
- New Nobility – Galactic Love
- Powerman 5000 – Show Me What You’ve Got
- Without Mercy – CMDUC
* Denotes 80 MSP ($.99) track.
