Review: Living With Lions

With the ever expanding roster of Black Box Music, the newly co-branded Black Box Recordings and their artist management endeavor, it seems the label has really picked up steam since its launch five years ago. They have picked up one solid artist after another and have allowed them to showcase their talents without the glass ceiling of being signed to a major label. Their latest release comes from Vancouver natives Living With Lions, who follow up 2007's "Dude Manor EP" with their first full length album "Make Your Mark."

The record opens up with a punch to the face. "She's A Hack" picks up where Dude Manor left off and shows us the Lions haven't lost their catchy punk rock touch. I immediately connected with this track on a personal level and it would just be the start of songs that almost made too much sense to me.

"Wrong Place, Right Time" keeps us moving along with a nice bass line verse and a sing-along chorus and "A Bottle Of Charades" isn't much different. I can just imagine a sea of kids screaming "Hey Yeah! Hey Yeah!" at the top of their lungs and bringing the band and fans together like only the live experience can.

The fourth track, "Granny Steps", hits hard with it's lyrics: 'Downtown is barely breathing. Downtown is alive and barely holding on.' As someone who has just moved from the suburbs of Oakville, Ontario to the city of Toronto, this song rang pretty true. Which opened me up nicely for "My Dilemma", a fast-paced track reminiscent of punk rock legends Lifetime. The drums and guitars are full of energy that keeps building and building until the 1 minute and 50 second mark, where the band calms it down just to start building it up again. This is almost two songs in one, but both halfs work tremendously together.

Tracks six through eight are probably my favourites on the album. Starting with "Cold Coffee", the boys keep the music rocking but throw out lyrics that pretty much any guy can relate to. In regards to relationships, especially complicated ones, this song seems to describe every mixed-up-unspoken-feelings one could possibly have. "Hotel: Part Seven" is a great follow up to this and the music really gets you moving. It's like when you finally begin to realize that you're going to be okay and things are working out for the best, this track really focuses your energy to moving on and growing up.

"Coolin' With Costa" is one of those great songs for the road. If you've ever been in a band, especially a touring one, this track is for you. The second verse has the line: 'We don't know where we are, but that's how we got this far.' That describes every band I've ever been in. But this song isn't just about playing gigs, it's about a camaraderie; a connection with friends and how you live your life. It's about what makes you happy and the shit you'll put yourself through because when push comes to shove, it's all fucking worth it.

The song before the finale is "Park It Out Back" which will no doubt be a fan favourite at shows. The chorus is specifically designed to be sung by the audience, in fact, at about 2:25, the vocals are produced to sound like a crowd belting out the lyrics. Another great punk rock track with a solid baseline carrying us through.

Finally, the album comes to a close with "Dude Manor" which is named after Living With Lions house in Vancouver. This is where the boys moved in and came together as a band and you can tell the house represents something special to the guys. Ultimately, it represents something special for anyone who digs this album, because without Dude Manor, who knows if the Lions would have gotten together at all. And what a shame that would be.

Living With Lions brings some credibility and energy back into punk rock with "Make Your Mark." From start to finish, the album has my head banging and body jumping. I can tell already that I've found my summer CD for 2008 and I couldn't be happier with it. Check out their MySpace at myspace.com/livingwithlions and if you like what you hear, go grab a copy of the CD in stores or on iTunes.

Or better yet, grab a copy off the band if they come to your area. They are about to embark on a tour with A Wilhelm Scream and I am already salivating at the opportunity to see two of punk rocks most promising young bands rip up the stage together.

Soundtracking Our Lives.

If you're like me, music is an important part of your everyday life. From the moment I wake up, to the moment I go to sleep (and often throughout the night as well), music plays a pivotal role in defining who I am at that very moment. Like any great movie, the soundtrack to your life can make or break your story. Sure, we're all entitled to our guilty pleasures, but they're like the comic relief character. Well, if music can be considered a character - I'd like to think it could and you can't deny that it certainly adds to your character.

This is why I don't get a lot of music today. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a victim of growing up (at least not yet) and I do like a great deal of new music. You've got to sift through the shit and skim for the gold, but it's out there. But to me, music means something so much more then background noise, which I feel a lot of new music today is. It's music without soul, music without meaning. It's just there. It exists and you exist with it. It's forgettable and therefore, so are people’s “soundtracks.”

I don't think I've ever been in an environment or situation where I was not fully aware of what was being played on the stereo. I can pinpoint exact moments in my life with songs; I’m brought back in time with particular records. It has all played a part in what has made me the person I am today and it’s comforting to know that I can organize my music chronologically.

This comfort is why I think we should all pay closer attention to our soundtracks. Whether we realize it or not, these songs, albums, and artists truly define us as people. Even your biggest musical injustice/mistake serves its purpose. For me, that’s probably Aqua. There was a legitimate time in my youth where I was like “Man, this is cool.” There was even a worse time in my early twenties where two friends and I actually got back into listening to Aqua on road trips. Interesting fact I know. Even more interesting that we are all straight – but this is all beside the point. For whatever reason, Aqua found its way into my soundtrack and it played its role. It came in initially at a time where I was really young and naive; where I was making mistakes as a part of learning how the world works. The second time there isn’t really a good excuse, but I can look back on those road trips fondly and know that it brought three friends closer together through laughter. Even with mistakes like Aqua in my soundtrack, I still know how and why they exist in it. Does anyone else pay this much attention?

I’m not trying to sound like an elitist or judge anyone, my respect for music stems from the fact that it’s the only form of media that everyone enjoys and has an opinion on. What I am trying to do is challenge the listener to really suck in that experience. So much is forced fed to us through the Top 40 charts and music videos that I question the impact it has on people. I mean, if you enjoy “pop” as we know it today, then more power to you, but I hope that it connects with you on some level and it’s something you can look back on fondly.

For me, I take refuge in the fact that I remember the first time I heard Nirvana and how it made me feel. I take solace in the memory of hearing “Basket Case” (Green Day) and “Self-Esteem” (the Offspring) and knowing that things, for the first time, made sense. I get goose-bumps thinking of those old local venues, where I watched Grade and Jersey play their hearts out and I knew that I finally belonged.

That brief list may seem like a “when I was a kid” message, but it really isn’t. It's all the stepping stones to how I got here and pieces of my life's puzzle. What's yours? If you had to, could you write your life story based solely on music? What are the songs on your soundtrack and are they going to be memorable in five or ten years? I hope they are.

So friends, here is my challenge for you: top five songs that defined your life up until now. Post a comment or send me an email with your list and let's see how your soundtrack is. Here is mine:

• Van Morrison, “Sweet Thing” (mp3) – Quite possibly my favourite song of all time. My earliest memories as a child were surrounded by my parent’s folk music, but this one has stayed with me forever. Originally released in 1968 on the album Astral Weeks, this classic song has always been one I can run home to. The lyrics say it best: “You shall take me strongly in your arms again. And I will not remember that I ever felt the pain.”
• Green Day, “When I Come Around” (YouTube) - In 1994, an album that would change my life forever was released. That album was called Dookie and it grabbed my attention as something unique from the moment I heard the first single “Longview”. But it wasn't until a year later that I really started to take notice; “When I Come Around” had the raw emotion of the grunge movement, but with a catchy melody and a lyrical story to tell. I bought this album strictly because of this single and thus, began my love affair with punk rock.
• Grade, “Triumph And Tragedy” (mp3) - Around '98/'99 I started becoming more and more interested in the local scene. I started to realize that the music I had embraced and grown to deeply love wasn't just from far off places. It was alive and around me. Not only that, but there were actually people out there into the same things as me. I soon got my hands on a copy of Under the Radar and was converted. I've been supporting the 905 scene ever since.
• The Fullblast, “Miss You” (MySpace) - We had reached the new millennium and the world didn't end. I was 16 years old and had my first kiss under my belt thanks to the Y2K threat and a lovely girl’s kindness. I had the world in the palm of my hand and every day I was discovering new music thanks to MP3.com and Napster. It was that summer that I decided to attend my first local show at the Pineroom in Oakville. On the bill were future successes Boys Night Out and Silverstein; some local favourites in Safewayhome and The Pettit Project; but nothing would be more memorable to me then the moment The Fullblast took the stage. All of a sudden I had my very own version of Lifetime (a band I never got to experience live until they reunited) playing in my hometown and playing their hearts out. I decided right then and there that I would do anything to help bands like them succeed. This is the exact moment when I decided I would work in the music industry.
• Jack's Mannequin, “Dark Blue” (mp3) - This one is a little personal and I'm not going to go into too much detail about why. I will tell you this: two years ago this song played and my life was inspired and renewed. For a moment, nothing existed or mattered except what was around me. Every day since has been a blessing and this song will always remind me of just how lucky I am.