Five Song Friday - October 25th

This week has been busy, and hectic, but music has found its way to me despite the chaos of the week. This week has been a Pop-Punk sort of week, so that will be apparent with some of my song choices. Check out the tunes, read my thoughts, and see which ones you like. Thanks for reading!

1. Floorboards - Real Friends
   Real Friends. A friend of mine tipped me off to these boys, and I've been getting more and more addicted each day. This group makes some fantastic pop-punk; some honest, down-to-earth music. I discovered I had this song from some free sampler, and have been jamming it as much as I can. I love the rawness of their lead singer, Dan Lambton, and his lyrics are very revealing and personal. These guys have the same sort of vibe as Relient K did in its earlier days, and I absolutely love that. It's upbeat, it's driving, and it rocks. Definitely excited to explore more of their music soon. 5/5
2. Hostage - Dangerkids
   I cannot help but hear early Linkin Park when I listen to these guys, which by no means is a bad thing. I love that they're so heavily influenced by my favorite band, and it attracts me to them even more. This song in particular does a great job of balancing hopelessness and hope within the same song. It's high moments lift you up, and the low moments remind you that everything isn't always great. Their lyrics are fantastic, in my opinion, and are revealing while sending a positive message to their listeners in hopes to build them up. That is a common thread amongst hardcore/metal bands today, and I think it is a trend that is forcing people to rethink their preconceived ideas of this genre. 5/5
3. Hard To Please - State Champs
   This is another pop-punk band that I have been listening to more and more lately, and slowly getting hooked. This song in particular is my favorite so far, with the line "maybe I'm a bad person" showing a willingness to accept imperfections, which is fantastic lyrical honest. The song itself is very catchy, with an upbeat nature of crashing drums and gritty guitars going through great riffs while their lead singer sings and yells his heart out. It's very personal feeling music, and it's what I love about it. 5/5
4. Saturday - Fall Out Boy
   I know this is a little old-school compared to the rest of the songs, but it fits well with the pop-punk thing I've got going on. This is Fall Out Boy in their early days, which I think is nice to listen to sometimes. I love their newest album, with it's variety of influences and sounds, but this early stuff is good as well. I hadn't really heard this song until I went and saw them live, for they closed with this tune. I can see how these guys influenced the pop-punk scene, and how they set standards with this first album. It's cool to see the roots of bands that have evolved in sound over time. 5/5
5. A Love Like War (feat. Vic Fuentes) - All Time Low
   All Time Low has been constantly putting out solid records the last few years, and I always keep an eye on their latest releases. This song, off the bonus version of their newest record, Don't Panic, is one of my favorites from the group that I've heard in a while. It has that more lighthearted nature they have perfected, but it also hits heavier than anything I've heard from them. It features guest vocals from Vic Fuentes of Pierce The Veil, who I think complements the band well with his higher range and selected screams here and there. The guitar really leads this song, with some sweet riffs and chords driving over clapping beats and then pounding drums. I very highly recommend it if you like Yellowcard, Tonight Alive, or The Wonder Years. 4/5