For those of you who frequent the ramblings on this blog, you may remember that I deemed the last Monday of every month to be “New Music Monday.” My theory was that on this epic day, I’d incrementally increase the volume of our music catalog. Then, I would spend some time listening to the new addition, or additions, let the sound percolate and bounce around in my head, and eventually write up my own little review. What I found is that I am not patient enough to wait until the end of the month to buy new music. So let’s retool here. I am going to ‘try’ to write my review on the last Monday of each month and buy music whenever. I’m all ready late on my first issue. Shit.

September was a great month to be a music listener in my house. One word that describes how I feel about music: Substance. It’s like a friend you can always count on. Everywhere you turn, it’s there. I like that kind of reliability. I encountered a lot of new ‘friends’ in September. So getting to know each album was a daunting challenge. However, one record stuck out more than any other. The reason, as I will describe in further depth below, is because it encompassed many of the great things I like about music. I could hear so many influences on the record, artists and groups that also influenced me, so that I felt like I was listening to a family member talk to me.


The SoCal punk group Orange has been around for some time. There have been some changing of the guard through the years but the front man, Joe Dexter, and the vision of the band are still intact. Orange released its new album, Phoenix, on September 15, 2009. I wasn’t expecting it. As a matter of fact, my overall exposure to Orange was very limited. Like zero. However, I was listening to satellite radio when it got my attention and I scribbled the name of the band and song down on a post-it. Thanks to Lala.com and high speed bandwidth provided by the nation’s largest cable provider, I downloaded the latest Orange record.

Find it here: http://www.lala.com/#album/360569445168190460

So what is Orange? Do you mean the color? No, as I said above, it’s a SoCal punk band. It’s not as angry as Pennywise, as political as the Dead Kennedys, as comedic as the Offspring, or as fabricated as Story of the Year. Orange sits nicely in between these groups. It’s an entertaining almost-pop melodic punk that encourages the punk rowdiness through the music but lifts through its lyrics. No bashing the ‘Man’ here. Most of these songs are about feelings. So that makes Orange borderline emo on this record but the rest assured, the sound is confidently punk. I was giddy to listen to it as each track was upbeat and flowed into the next. The energy easily carries you through the record front to back. But there was no “Oh my God, this is the most amazing album I have ever heard.” It was more along the lines of being easily entertained by stories I could relate to or feelings that I have had. The songs, while not overly different musically from one another, allowed me to sit in the passenger seat of life for a minute and get an alternate take on the whole ‘feelings’ concept.

Phoenix has 12 tracks, covers a broad range of the musical spectrum, and draws on the diverse influences of the band. While I have listened to very little earlier Orange albums, I can say that Phoenix stretches the band both musically and lyrically as they try to develop their signature sound and mix genres. There is definitely a common Orange ‘theme’ through the record but each song pulls on its own uniquely creative strings. However, in lieu of time and wordiness, I am going to evaluate four of the songs which I feel give a fair slice of objectivity through the band’s recent release.

Standing Still – I would say that this is probably the most un-punk song on the album and was the first single off of it. This song has the most instrumentation of any of the other tracks. I personally like the whole xylophone action on it. I hear a lot of influence from the Cure on this song and I think musically that’s what catches me.

Everything I Need – This song just jumps right in like any good punk song should. You are immediately hit with a driving beat and guitar riff. The lyrics are introspective which is dangerously close to emo. The difference, no whining like a teenager who thinks they’re misunderstood. In my opinion, this is the best song on the record as the music changes direction multiple times and the message is right on.

Never Going Out Again – This song has such and east coast punk feel to it. It really reminds me of the Ramones. The chorus is an anthem and I can just visualize arms raised as this song is played in a club. Lyrically, the irony of not wanting to be like others but then following the herd is pretty accurate.

Catching Up – This song has the random chanting at the beginning that reminds me of a soccer game. I just want to slide tackle someone. The guitar work on this song is proto-typical crunchy SoCal punk. The lyrics are delivered with authority which reminds me of Rancid or the Misfits. I am sucker for SoCal punk.

If I had to set out must haves in a record, Phoenix by Orange would have hit most of them head on. The biggest one, does it keep my attention? The answer is yes. The big thing is that you can hear the diverse influences of the band. But it’s one thing to be influenced and it is another thing to copy. Orange does a great job pulling together their influences and using them appropriately in their music to yield an exceptional result. Most of the songs have outstanding choruses and all are anthemic and optimistic. Seems a little counter-intuitive for punk, right? Well there are several songs that are darker and there is even a cover of a Lou Reed piece called “Perfect Day.”

Overall, I would recommend Orange and their newest album Phoenix. It may not be innovative in its exploration of new themes or challenging when it comes to complex time or key changes, or even complex arrangements. But the music is energetic and the lyrics are encouraging. I personally like the fact that the band is not afraid to show an emotional side with a punk-type sensibility. I guess I can relate to this being the handful that I am.