Popaganda | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 6, 2006 | |||
Recorded | October 2005 – January 2006 | |||
Studio |
| |||
Genre | Power pop | |||
Length | 46:03 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Producer | Howard Benson | |||
Head Automatica chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Popaganda | ||||
|
Popaganda is the second studio album by American rock band Head Automatica, released on June 6, 2006 through Warner Bros. Records. While touring in support of their debut studio album Decadence (2004), frontman Daryl Palumbo's Crohn's disease saw the cancellation of some shows throughout 2004 and 2005. By the middle of 2005, they had accumulated 40 songs; between October 2005 and January 2006, the band recorded their next album with producer Howard Benson. Sessions were held at two studios in California: Bay 7 in Valley Village and Sparky Dark in Calabasas. Popaganda is a power pop album that Palumbo said was influenced by the work of the Beatles and Elvis Costello.
Popaganda received mixed reviews from critics, some of whom complimented the songwriting, while others criticized Palumbo's voice and the album's uninspired sound. Before the album was released, Head Automatica embarked on two tours of the United States, one with support from Morningwood and the other with support from My American Heart. The band then supported Avenged Sevenfold and Coheed and Cambria on their co-headlining US tour, and then appeared at the Coachella festival. "Graduation Day" was released to radio in June 2006, which coincided with a support slot for Taking Back Sunday and Angels & Airwaves. They then embarked on a US tour with Rock Kills Kid and Men, Women & Children, following which, "Lying Through Your Teeth" was released to radio in October 2006.
Head Automatica released their debut studio album Decadence in August 2004. [1] The band promoted it with tours alongside Interpol, the Rapture and Thrice. As frontman Daryl Palumbo suffered from Crohn's disease, the band were forced to cancel a variety of shows throughout 2004 and 2005. [2] By July 2005, the band had accumulated 40 songs, which they had been working on for the preceding seven months, with Palumbo theorising that their next album would arrive late in the year. [3] [4] Palumbo was due to support the Used on their headlining US tour for the next month with his other band Glassjaw but had to cancel because of Crohn's disease. [5] In October 2005, Head Automatica started recorded with producer Howard Benson; sessions continued into January 2006. [6] [7]
Benson had previously worked on two songs for Decadence; as Palumbo was liked Benson's tendencies for song arrangements and vocals, he decided to enlist him as producer for the whole album. [8] Recording was held at Bay 7 Studios, Valley Village, California and Sparky Dark Studio in Calabasas, California. [9] In the midst of this, the band released to two covers, "Jackie Wilson Said" (1972) by Van Morrison and So It Goes" (1976) by Nick Lowe, to tide fans over until the album was finished. [10] Mike Plotnikoff acted as engineer, and mixed "Laughing at You", "Nowhere Fast", "God", "Shot in the Back (The Platypus)", "She's Not It", "Egyptian Musk", "Cannibal Girl", and "K Horse" at Glenwood Place Studios in Burbank, California, with assistance from Ian Suddarth. Chris Lord-Alge mixed "Graduation Day", "Lying Through Your Teeth", "Scandalous", "Curious", and Million Dollar Decision", with assistant engineer Hatsukazu Inagaki. [9]
Musically, the sound of Popaganda has been described as power pop. [11] [12] [13] Vocalist/guitarist Daryl Palumbo described the album as being "more musical" than anything he had done previously, calling it highly melodic. Taking influence from the Beatles, in addition to the Mod revival of the 1970s, he wanted "all the hooks to soar and all the songs to be as memorable and melodic as possible." Breaking down the album into sections, he described it as "one part the Knack, one part Cheap Trick, five parts Elvis Costello and the Attractions, one part Graham Parker, and tons of Nick Lowe melody lines" with "a modern take on those artists". [7] It marked a shift away from the dance and electronic influences of their past work. [2] Keyboardist Jessie Nelson said it was inspired by pop musicians such as Costello, Mike and the Mechanics and Steve Winwood, alongside duos Cassius and the Rondo Brothers. [14]
AllMusic reviewer Corey Apar said the band retained the "post-punk dance attitude", though its "filtered this time through late-'70s pop influences" instead of "back-alley beats and electro-rock fuzz" that their previous collaborate Dan the Automator favored. Two of the tracks, namely, "Nowhere Fast" and "Egyptian Musk", recalled the sound of Decadence. [15] The staff at Ultimate Guitar called the guitar work "gritty and sharp" though they followed "plain structures" with three chords. [16] Discussing the title, Palumbo explained it referred to the "writing zone I was in for this whole period in my life". [17] He had toyed with releasing a double album as the song count had risen to 50 tracks. [18]
The album's opening track, "Graduation Day" starts with guitar and piano parts which build into a pop song, akin to the material on early Costello releases. [15] [13] The song includes Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance doing backing vocals, [9] who had been friends with Palumbo for a few years. [19] "Lying Through Your Teeth" is a hair metal song with glam rock-lite chorus sections. [15] [13] It sees the narrator finding out about their partner cheating on them. [15] "Nowhere Fast" incorporates some of the abnormal melodies that Palumbo employed on Glassjaw's Worship and Tribute (2002). [13] "Scandalous" is a neo-doo-wop song that Palumbo attributed to British Invasion acts covering doo-wop songs, and is followed by the straight-forward power pop song "Curious". [13] [20] With "God", discussing having to deal with his Crohn's disease. [15] The guitar-heavy "Million Dollar Decision" is a mid-tempo track. [13] The electronic "Egyptian Musk" song evokes the sound of Death from Above, and has a 1980s club atmosphere. [12] [13] A Lord-Alge remix of "Beating Heart Baby", a song from their debut, was included as a bonus track; Palumbo explained that this was the "final mix" of the track which had been left unreleased. [19]
After finishing up recording, the group went on a tour of the US from late January to late February 2006. [7] [21] They were supported by Morningwood. [21] On January 23, 2006, the album's title of Popaganda was revealed. [18] On March 3, 2006, "Graduation Day" was made available for streaming through their Myspace profile. [22] The band appeared at the South by Southwest music conference later that same month, and embarked on a tour of the US, running into April 2006, with My American Heart. [17] [23] [24] On March 28, "Laughing at You" was made available for streaming, and the album's track listing was revealed. On April 4, a digital-only EP was released, titled Pop Rocks , it features the previously-released "Graduation Day" and "Laughing at You", as well as new songs "Nowhere Fast" and "God". [25] In April, the band supported Avenged Sevenfold and Coheed and Cambria on their co-headlining tour of the US, but were unable to appear at some of the shows due to Palumbo's illness. [26] [27] On April 7, the album's artwork was revealed, and "Lying Through Your Teeth" was made available for streaming. [28] "Nowhere Fast" was made available for streaming five days later. [29] Following this, the band performed at Coachella. [2] On May 3, a music video was released for "Graduation Day". [30] It was based on 1980s John Hughes films and directed by Tony Petrossian. [31] It was shot at the Loyola High School in Los Angeles, California. [32] On May 24, "Scandalous" was posted on the band's Myspace profile. [33]
Popaganda was made available for streaming through their Myspace on June 2, 2006, and released four days later through Warner Bros. Records. [34] [35] A Lord-Alge mix of "Beating Heart Baby", a song from Decadence, was included a bonus track. [9] In June and July, the band went on tour with Taking Back Sunday and Angels & Airwaves. [36] "Graduation Day" was released to radio on June 20, 2006. [37] From August 2006, the group went on a US tour with Rock Kills Kid and Men, Women & Children, and appeared at the X96 Big Ass Show. [38] [39] Though the trek was intended to last until October 2006, the band cancelled the September and October dates. [40] On August 25, a music video was released for "Lying Through Your Teeth" premiered through Alternative Press ' website. [41] "Lying Through Your Teeth" was released to radio on October 17, 2006. [37] The following day, it was announced that drummer Larry Gorman was no longer in the band. [42] Alternative Press reported that he had been kicked out, with Gorman explaining that it was mostly in part to "the fact that the relationship between Daryl and I has slowly been deteriorating over the last couple of years." [43] In October and November, the band went on the MTV$2 Bill Tour alongside Thirty Seconds to Mars. [44] During this trek, they appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly . [45] In February 2007, the band supported Jack's Mannequin on their tour of the US. [46]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [15] |
Melodic | [47] |
Punknews.org | [13] |
Ultimate Guitar | 7.7/10 [16] |
Popaganda was met with mixed reviews from music critics. AllMusic reviewer Corey Apar said the band's change of sound "never seems forced or contrived". He mentioned that during the middle portion "some songs don't initially hit that hard, but the rest of the record keeps things moving along for later listens". [15] Jeff Vrabel of Billboard noted that the album wears its big aspirations on its sequined sleeve", stating that it "drags in its second half and [while] Palumbo’s voice is certainly an acquired taste, his hooks hit more than they miss". [48] Melodic staff writer Kaj Roth considered it an improvement over Decadence, saying that fans of that album would "find lots of future fave songs" on Popaganda. [47] The staff at Ultimate Guitar praised the album for is variety of musical styles, saying it "appeared sounding organic with perky tracks and infectious melodies". [16]
Punknews.org founder Aubin Paul said Palumbo "owes even more to Costello than just his voice", highlight "Graduation Day" as an example. He went to say that Head Automatica " hasn't fully committed to their new sound or discovered what it is -- with far too many borrowed moments" from Costello and his new wave contemporaries. [13] Alternative Press writer J. Bennett said the "most refreshing thing" about the album was that Head Automatica "aren’t a pop band pretending a punk band, [...] or even an emo band pretending to be grown men--but that they’ll do whatever it takes to get Summer naked on the Bait Shop floor". [49] The staff at Chart Attack lambasted it, stating that "between Palumbo's annoyingly affected vocals and the album's scarcity of catchy hooks, most of Popaganda feels thin, flat and desperately fun-free". [50]
Popaganda reached and peaked at number 69 on the Billboard 200, [51] and number 87 on the UK Albums Chart. [52] By September 2006, the album sold 50,000 copies. [53]
All songs written by Daryl Palumbo. [9]
Bonus track
Personnel per booklet. [9]
Head Automatica
Additional musicians
| Production and design
|
Chart (2006) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Albums Chart (OCC) [52] | 87 |
US Billboard 200 [51] | 69 |
Glassjaw is an American post-hardcore band from Hempstead, New York. It was formed in 1993 by vocalist Daryl Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck. The band is known for their intense live shows, as well as their frequent line-up changes. Despite their limited commercial success and small discography, they are considered to be one of the most influential bands in the progression of the underground music scene in the eastern United States and United Kingdom for the post-hardcore genre.
Worship and Tribute is the second studio album by American post-hardcore band Glassjaw, released on July 9, 2002, through I Am and Warner Bros. Records. As with their first full-length album, Worship and Tribute was produced by Ross Robinson and mixed and engineered by Mike Fraser.
Head Automatica is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York fronted by Glassjaw frontman Daryl Palumbo.
Daryl Palumbo is an American musician, originally from Bellmore, New York. He is the frontman of the bands Glassjaw, Head Automatica and Color Film. As a youth he was a member of the Long Island straight edge band XbustedX. In 1993 he met guitarist Justin Beck, who would become his good friend. Together they formed Glassjaw.
Finch is an American post-hardcore band from Temecula, California. The band is best known for their single "What It Is to Burn" from the album of the same name (2002). Their second album, Say Hello to Sunshine (2005), peaked within the top 30 on the Billboard 200. Following setbacks within the group, they released the album Back to Oblivion (2014).
Gutter Phenomenon is the third studio album by American metalcore band Every Time I Die.
If Only You Were Lonely is the second studio album by American rock band Hawthorne Heights and the final album to feature rhythm guitarist and unclean backing vocalist Casey Calvert before his death on November 24, 2007. It was produced by David Bendeth. The title of the album is in reference to a B-side by The Replacements of the same name.
In with the Out Crowd is the sixth studio album by American ska-punk band Less Than Jake, released on May 23, 2006 on Sire Records. Produced by Howard Benson, who had previously worked with the band on their third studio album, Hello Rockview (1998), the album was preceded by the single "Overrated " and an EP of material recorded during the same sessions, entitled Absolution for Idiots and Addicts.
I Am the Avalanche is the debut album by I Am the Avalanche and was released on September 27, 2005 on Drive-Thru Records. The release date marks the two-year anniversary of the break-up of singer Vinnie Caruana's previous band, The Movielife.
Decadence is the debut studio album of American rock band Head Automatica that was released on August 17, 2004, through Warner Bros. Records. Vocalist Daryl Palumbo toured as a member of Glassjaw until early 2003, when he wrote material for a new band. Shortly afterwards, he formed Head Automatica with drummer Larry Gorman and producer Dan "Dan the Automator" Nakamura. Recording sessions for their debut were held in September and October 2003 at The Glue Factory in San Francisco, California, with Nakamura producing the majority of the songs and Howard Benson producing two of them. Decadence is a dance-rock, garage rock, and electronic rock album that was influenced by the works of Joe Jackson, Nick Lowe, and Primal Scream.
Crisis is the third studio album from Canadian post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, released on August 22, 2006.
Nightmare of You is the debut studio album by American rock band Nightmare of You.
...And the Battle Begun is an album by the Rx Bandits. It is the band's first album released by Matt Embree's label Mash Down Babylon. The album was released in stores on October 10, 2006, but was first made available in late June both directly from the band whilst on their 2006 summer tour and online via their website.
The Walking Wounded is the third studio album by American rock band Bayside.
New Maps of Hell is the fourteenth studio album by Bad Religion, released on July 10, 2007.
Mutiny! is the debut studio album by American rock band Set Your Goals. Within the first three months of 2006, the band signed to independent label Eulogy Recordings and recorded the album with Barrett Jones in Seattle, Washington. Immediately following recording, the band embarked on two tours across the United States. Before releasing Mutiny in July, the album was preceded by the single release of the title track. The band subsequently toured the US, either as a supporting act or headlining, into mid-2007. After appearing on that year's Warped Tour, the group toured across Europe before closing out the year with another US tour.
United Nations is a hardcore punk supergroup whose roots go back to at least 2005. Due to the nature of the band, it is unclear who exactly is a member of United Nations at any given time. Early promotional images of the band depicted four people wearing Ronald Reagan masks, and all original contributors were contractually obligated to remain anonymous. The only member not under contract at the time was Geoff Rickly of the band Thursday.
Our Color Green (The Singles) is the third extended play by the American post-hardcore band Glassjaw, self-released on January 1, 2011. The EP compiles five singles that were previously released throughout the later part of 2010. Our Color Green (The Singles) is the first release from Glassjaw since the 2005 B-sides EP El Mark, and first release of original material since the 2002 studio album Worship and Tribute. It is also the first release by the band as a four-piece, without Todd Weinstock.
...Is a Real Boy is the second studio album by American rock band Say Anything, released on August 3, 2004.
Pedals is the second studio album from post-hardcore band Rival Schools, released nearly 10 years after their debut record United by Fate was first released.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)