So I've been a little delinquent in writing my monthly music reviews. It's been a couple of things like work, travel, kids, and maybe a lack of inspiration. It's not that I haven't picked up anything new. It's actually the opposite. So now after a couple of inquiries from my peers about my absence, it's time to ride the donkey and drop a new review.

This review comes to us by way of Sirius XM radio and the Puyallup Sounder. I have to get to the train station at the butt crack of dawn to get a parking spot. And since I'm there about 45 minutes early, I get a lot of time to listen to satellite radio. One morning, while listening and waiting for my train, I stumbled upon to this group and there new release. And unlike other reviews of other bands, I knew absolutely nothing about this band.

Find the album here.

The band is Useless ID and there new record is called Symptoms. Before I get into the review of the album, how about a little about the band. Useless ID has been around since about 1994. What makes them a little bit more interesting is that they formed in Israel and are one of the most popular bands to emerge from the Israel punk scene. They began touring the US in the late 90s. But where they go their big break in the States was when the Ataris heard them and loved their sound. Ultimately this led to doing a split album with the Ataris. And the rest is success.

The album ‘Symptoms’ is the latest release which just came out in February 2012 on Fat Wreck Records. And if I could describe the sound I would classify it as pop-punk that got kicked in the nuts. That being said, it has pop-punk sensibilities; emotional and metaphorical lyrics, sing song choruses, heavy bass a drum beats perfect for dancing and moshing. But then there is the ‘kicked in the nuts’ part of it. It seems like most of the lyrics are directed at some chick that broke the lead singer’s heart. Some of the singing is mellow and harmonic, while some escalates and becomes borderline shouting. It’s all good though but not revolutionary.

Let’s get to the songs. There are some great ones that start minimally and crescendo into something powerful. This recipe tends to repeat through the album’s entirety. But it is executed successfully on a few tracks.

Live or Die – The album opener is not minimal by any means. A few drum beats and guitar strums and you’re off into a ripper of track. I like the crunchiness in the minor chords that are used in this song. There’s a sense of urgency about the song, like they’re trying to persuasively convince you of something in a pre-described three minutes. Point taken.

Symptoms – This track is almost surreal in its execution. Now the verses of the song are mellow which is fairly nondescript in terms of music. Lyrically, they’re marginally more interesting than the musicality addressing a typical topic of love. But where this song shines is on the chorus in its almost dreamlike sequence.

Somewhere – No screaming just mellow sung lyrics about the work it takes to get to a working relationship. The musical beginnings are so innocent, much like the music. But the instrumentation begins to fill out aggressively and charge a heightened level of energy to the song. And the lyrics accompany it. It ramps up heavily to deliver the message and then falls back peacefully back into its mellowness.

Useless ID has been around for some time and their music is similar throughout their records. This may bother some listeners. While others will like that you can pick up the new record and it will sound like anything you’ve listened to before. Many music groups do this and survive for years. Overall, Symptoms is not The Dark Side of the Moon. But it also doesn’t profess to be that. It has a unidirectional movement that it is efficient at. This album probably isn’t going to be album of the year for most people, but it is perfectly sufficient to listen to if you just want to enjoy some music.

Our Own Country from cshindle1 on 8tracks.

It’s the still of the night where I find some of my deepest and most introspective thoughts and dreams. It’s typically the weekend where I can really afford the time to let go of my conservatisms of being equipped to head to work and be responsible. It’s the kind of night where I’ve been able to sit back and reflect on the aspects of my life which are truly most valuable.

I don’t get a lot of time to do it. The weekends are finite and my energy level and inspiration are much more endangered than ever before. That’s what happens when you’re a dad. Not that it takes chemical stimulation, but I’ve been able to unlock some of my deepest soulful feelings with the help of inebriants. Tonight is no different. And with that, I’m caught thinking about my fortunes and how I’ve never really publically let down my veil of secrecy on this blog.

I spend a lot of time pontificating about what I think life is, my lessons I glean from my kids, and how much I love the music and hate ‘the Man.’ Tonight, I spent the evening watching a chick flick. And normally this would mean nothing, but I also stumbled on to a song earlier while working on a Saturday for the man which seemed to prime to proverbial pump of inspiration. This is an entry to the love of my life that has saved me from everything I thought that would take my life.

If I can start with the simplest message; I love you. And this isn’t enough. I still don’t measure up. I think we both know that the last few months have been difficult by our standards. I haven’t been the most open. My communication has been less than efficient. I know I could’ve explained things better, expressed things clearer, been more transparent with my feelings. You could’ve been more connected to me. I’ve felt your distance, like a cold highway to nowhere at times. Some may have been my gross misinterpretation of reality. To that I’m guilty. But some is the plateau of complacency a relationship can reach at times when life trumps teamwork.

Tonight is my night to sidestep the routine and seize that late night moment of tranquility and inspiration to eloquently plant the seed of confidence and concern.

There’s a contentment that you reach in a relationship and I suppose at times it’s easy to misconstrue for complacency. After all, we’re not the youngsters who had the knotted up sexual tension as a result of bad timing and inappropriate circumstances. As everyone knows, I’m still that young boy that met you years ago and hung onto the gleaming hope that you would give me the time of day. Now that I know the time of day and the clock seems to always be ticking forward despite how hard I dig my heels in, we’re growing up and those innocently guilty years are behind us.

And that’s OK. And as easy as it sounds, we can’t lose the intimate focus of love on each other. It’s easy to look in the rear view mirror and evaluate the road that you’ve driven over these years. And it’s obvious that my metaphoric driving hasn’t been the safest or the most insurable. Before you, the official you, I’ve wrecked many a car. My journey has been riddled with horrible decisions where it’s cost me sanity, self respect, and dignity. All for the thrill of the speed of life. And interestingly, coincidentally, or even karmically, you’ve always been in the traffic jam of my life. It took me years to figure out the direction it would take to find the true depth of love.

Shit it may have been a dozen years of criss-crossing you during the gridlock of our relationships. It was easy to wave out of the window and wonder what it would be like to be in the same car. Only years later we are now caught in traffic together. Enough with the car metaphors. Get to the point.

I wish I could. I used to be eloquent. I could tell the story, elevate the audience to a new level of thinking, and connect them to something so deep. I’d been told that I could recite the alphabet and people would listen on the edge of their seats waiting for that next letter. Tonight, I’m struggling to put it all together. I hate not feeling like I can tell you in words how I feel. It’s hard knowing that you feel something so strong and so deep and you’re not able to effectively and eloquently communicate to the one person that needs to know it more than anyone else.

What I know is this:

No words are enough. Nothing I can write here will ever do justice the level of the deepest most soulful love I have for you. It’s more than a peck the cheek or the firm embrace. It’s more than the stern discipline that we team together on our boys. It’s more than the tender kiss on your neck. Even with a vivid imagination, I can’t even approximate a life where you and I don’t drive together. There’s that car metaphor again. If I could just tell you without words. But I don’t know how. What I do know that is that I hold you above everyone and everything.

You represent everything I’d sacrifice everything for. It’s a unit of teamwork where confidence overrides anxiety. I’m learning everyday that the novelty of intrigue and the unexpected can be happily superseded by the hands of time and lovely comfort.