For What It's Worth (EP)

Last updated
For What It's Worth EP
For What It's Worth.jpg
EP by
Ensign
ReleasedOctober, 2000
RecordedJune, 2000
Spin Recording Studios, New York City, U.S.
Genre Hardcore punk
Length9:55
Label Nitro Records
Producer Nate "Edge" Gluck
Ensign chronology
Three Years Two Months Eleven Days
(2000)		For What It's Worth EP
(2000)		 Death By Stereo/Ensign Split 7" (EP)
(2000)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

For What It's Worth is an EP by New Jersey hardcore punk band, Ensign. It was released in October, 2000 by Nitro Records and was the band's second release for the label following their first full-length album after leaving Indecision Records, Cast the First Stone . It was recorded in June, 2000 in New York City and at the same time the band produced two further tracks which appeared on the Death By Stereo/Ensign Split 7" (EP) on Indecision Records in December, 2000. The track, "Cast In Shadows" was later re-recorded and appeared on their next album for Nitro Records, The Price of Progression . Another track, "Left Hand Syndrome", was destined for the same release, according to the inlay details, but eventually was omitted.

Extended play Musical recording longer than a single, but shorter than a full album

An extended play record, often referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single, but is usually unqualified as an album or LP. Contemporary EPs generally contain a minimum of three tracks and maximum of six tracks, and are considered "less expensive and time-consuming" for an artist to produce than an album. An EP originally referred to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play (SP) and LP, but it is now applied to mid-length CDs and downloads as well.

New Jersey U.S. state in the United States

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is a peninsula, bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware River and Pennsylvania; and on the southwest by the Delaware Bay and Delaware. New Jersey is the fourth-smallest state by area but the 11th-most populous, with 9 million residents as of 2017, making it the most densely populated of the 50 U.S. states with its biggest city being Newark. New Jersey lies completely within the combined statistical areas of New York City and Philadelphia. New Jersey was the second-wealthiest U.S. state by median household income as of 2017.

Hardcore punk Subgenre of punk rock

Hardcore punk is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk scenes in San Francisco and Southern California which arose as a reaction against the still predominant hippie cultural climate of the time. It was also inspired by New York punk rock and early proto-punk. New York punk had a harder-edged sound than its San Francisco counterpart, featuring anti-art expressions of masculine anger, energy, and subversive humor. Hardcore punk generally disavows commercialism, the established music industry and "anything similar to the characteristics of mainstream rock" and often addresses social and political topics with "confrontational, politically-charged lyrics."

Contents

Overview

As was heard from Cast the First Stone , the band was beginning to slow their approach to hardcore punk in its purest state. It was on this EP that the transition moved further forward. "Cast In Shadow" was a slow-paced, chugging song with variable vocal styles, from Tim Shaw's usual hardcore shout down to a hushed tone for the middle section. The title track and "Nine-One-Zero-Zero" perhaps sound more like the Ensign of old, a slow start moving into a fast-paced middle, but with a somewhat metalcore ending. The EP's closer, "Left Hand Syndrome", was perhaps somewhat of an experimental track for the band. Straying from the start directly into more melodic hardcore territory, such as that occupied by Good Riddance in "pop-punk" mode.

Ensign is a hardcore punk band from New Jersey, USA. It was formed in 1995 and signed to Indecision Records in 1996. They signed to the larger label "next door", Dexter Holland's Nitro Records in 1998 and finally came to rest at Blackout Records in 2003 after a brief sortie back to Indecision in 2000.

Metalcore is a fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk. Among other styles blending metal and hardcore, such as crust punk and grindcore, metalcore is noted for its use of breakdowns, which are slow, intense passages conducive to moshing. Other defining instrumentation includes heavy guitar riffs often utilizing percussive pedal tones and double bass drumming. Vocalists in the genre typically perform screaming, more popular bands often combine this with the use of standard singing, usually during the bridge or chorus of a song. However the death growl is also a popular technique within the genre.

Overall, the actual sound was quite different from Cast the First Stone , due mainly to the fact that Nate Gluck had assumed guitar duties as well as bass, and the raw production. The feel and style was most definitely a precursor for that of their next venture, The Price of Progression.

Track listing

  1. "Cast In The Shadows" – 2:11
  2. "For What It's Worth" – 2:59
  3. "Nine-One-Zero-Zero" – 2:27
  4. "Left Hand Syndrome" – 2:19

Credits

Long Island Island in New York, United States of America

Long Island is a densely populated island off the East coast of The United States, beginning at New York Harbor approximately 0.35 miles (0.56 km) from Manhattan Island and extending eastward into the Atlantic Ocean. The island comprises four counties in the U.S. state of New York. Kings and Queens Counties and Nassau County share the western third of the island, while Suffolk County occupies the eastern two-thirds. More than half of New York City's residents now live on Long Island, in Brooklyn, and in Queens. However, many people in the New York metropolitan area colloquially use the term Long Island to refer exclusively to Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and conversely, employ the term the City to mean Manhattan alone.

New York (state) American state

New York is a state in the Northeastern United States. New York was one of the original thirteen colonies that formed the United States. With an estimated 19.54 million residents in 2018, it is the fourth most populous state. In order to distinguish the state from its city with the same name, it is sometimes referred to as New York State (NYS).

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References

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