The Lawrence Arms
Ever since I was introduced to NoFX in the early 90s I’ve been a fan of punk rock. Over the years the genre has changed and twisted, splintered and morphed into other various genres and my love for it has waned slightly. Pop-punk has become the most prolific and prominent of the subgenres. Whilst the movement has yielded some gems, the vast majority of bands that consider themselves pop-punk are vapid, complacent, over-produced and samey (word of the year). The Lawrence Arms are one of the bands that stand apart from the rest of the crowd.
Having signed to Fat Wreck Chords in 2001, the band have released three albums through the label (following their previous two releases on Asian Man Records). It’s hard to describe their sound as it meanders from bittersweet to furious. The thing that really appeals to me is the poetic slant of their lyrics. As is typically representative of pop-punk, the bands lyrics deal almost solely with the human condition but in a complex and interesting way – instead of whinging about girls and school. References to literature both American and foreign abound as do digs at pop culture.
Have a listen to a few selections:
