Sub City Records
-- the charitable extension of California's
Hopeless Records
-- picks up right where it left off in the battle against suicide. Since 2001,
Take Action!
has been the vehicle through which a wide, ever-changing assortment of
punk
and
indie
bands annually team up for a well-stocked compilation and subsequent tour. The goal of
is to raise awareness about teen suicide, including recognition of warning signs and resources available for prevention, most notably the National Hopeline Network and, most recently, the Youth America Hotline. That said, the fifth installment of this compilation series brings over 40 bands together on two discs that span the
/
scene of today, and is therefore a great way to finally hear bands you've heard of but not actually heard. From
hardcore
to
emo
pop
indie rock
to scrappy
to -- well, let's stop there before the extreme genre mashing begins. Some exceptions aside, disc one is definitely the more
-oriented of the two disks. Highlights include
Boys Night Out
's
"Medicating"
from their darkly conceptual
Trainwreck
, the
bopping of
Amber Pacific
"Poetically Pathetic,"
and the sugarcoated smoothness of
"Take Me Away"
"The Only Difference..."
courtesy of
the Plain White T's
Panic! At the Disco
, respectively. The dizzying contributions of
the Fall of Troy
Horse the Band
also stand strong among their more melodic peers. Disc two is all over the place, and thus the more fun listen; here you'll find gritty
rock
from
A Wilhelm Scream
the Riverboat Gamblers
, a stylish number from
the Briefs
, the dirty
country
intimacy of
Lucero
"Sixteen,"
and a quirky, enjoyable cut from
the Hockey Night
.
Teenage Bottlerocket
"Pull the Plug"
is a terrific, rousing rocker, and tracks from
the Loved Ones
Solea
will cause sudden and impromptu head bouncing and foot tapping. Oh, and just so the cause at heart isn't forgotten amidst all this dancing and singing, each disc begins with a PSA from a musically inclined spokesman; disc two also comes enhanced with mental health information, prevention resources, and ways to get involved. The only real downside is that albums like this usually boast a plethora of previously unreleased or demo tracks, but this time there are only five -- from
Lagwagon
(who recently lost a founding member to suicide),
Saosin
,
, and
the A.K.A.s
. But hey -- there are 43 bands together benefiting a worthy cause, so what difference does it really make? ~ Corey Apar