Many of us can link a certain album to pivotal moments in our lives. Whether it’s the first record you bought with your own money, the chord you first learnt to play on guitar, the song that soundtracked your first kiss, the album that got you those awkward and painful pubescent years or the one that set off light bulbs in your brain and inspired you to take a big leap of faith into the unknown – music is often the catalyst for change in our lives and can even help shape who we become.
In this Love Letter To A Record series, Music Feeds asks artists to reflect on their relationship with music and share with us stories about the effect music has had on their lives.
Callan Milward, Weatherstate – Saves The Day, Through Being Cool (1999)
Dear Through Being Cool,
I can’t recall the exact moment when I discovered this record. However, I do remember it being 2008, and I was a new greasy college student, just turned 17. It may have been within the first few months of arriving at college. My seaside hometown of Weymouth, UK is about a million miles away from the New Jersey coast, but through the internet I was learning about what ticked the boxes of so many bands I listened to at that time.
Saves The Day kept coming up as an influence over and over again with the contemporary bands of the time. I have vivid memories of launching the Last FM app on my Xbox 360, through the old CRT television at the end of my single bed and hearing the opening chords to ‘You Vandal’ for the first time. It was one of those occasions where you hear a new song, and within the first 20 seconds you know this is your new favourite band.
I remember I had this phase where I’d be in my bedroom with my guitar, listening to a song for the first time and I’d try to figure out all the power chords on my first listen. I did that a lot with Through Being Cool. It’s strange to look at this retrospectively. I feel what drew me in so strongly to the record itself is its ability to blend this double-time hardcore punk energy that I loved with these huge anthemic emotional melodies. Every single line is a certified earworm. I realised almost every band I loved at this time were ripping off the groundwork Through Being Cool had laid.
T.B.C had been doing all this almost decade prior in 2008. I don’t know why but that really impressed me. It’s energy and catchiness is unmatched and so ahead of its time. Another thing that resonated with me is Chris Conley’s ability to write these genuine and gruesomely graphic lyrics. Yet, they were portrayed with no vigour whatsoever, almost pleasantly in fact. They bounced so well off these cheerful melodies. I’m not sure why I loved that. It’s very endearing and unique to him as a song writer. Almost tongue in cheek.
Through the up’s and downs of my 20’s, this record frequently keeps coming back to me and in my eyes, it’s truly stood the test of time. It’s a classic, the songs are timeless, it’s catchy as hell, it’s a party to listen to. Thanks for being there for me.
Love, Callan
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Weatherstate are a punk band from Weymouth UK who’ve just pulled back the proverbial curtain in their new single and music video for ‘Never Getting Better’ – produced by Alan Day (Four Year Strong).
Check it out below!
The post Love Letter To A Record: Weatherstate’s Callan Milward On Saves The Day’s ‘Through Being Cool’ appeared first on Music Feeds.
