As we now know, our journey for our July AotM has come to an end! I had a time putting these clues together and hope that you guys involves and sleuthing had fun too! The album I chose was The Smoking Popes- Into the Agony. Here's why!
Personal:
1. More than anything, I just want people to know about this amazing group that carries tons of respect amongst those whos sound they inspired (there's a lot). Hearing some of their early cuts was the first time I personally realized that punk music could be instantly recognizable as punk, yet wayyyy different than their peers. They had their five minutes of fame, got picked up by Capital records, then shortly afterward dropped from the label after an acquisition change... then, sadly, swiftly forgotten. The industry really sort of undeservedly let them down.
2. My greatest hope is that everyone reading is at a point in their life where they are stable and happy. Being realistic though, I know that might not be the case for some. And if you're at a place like that now please know that there are lots of people here that have your back and that you can confide in (shoutout to https://www.needlesandgrooves.com/t...ort-thread-fka-depression-support-thread.107/ ).
I'm sure I'm not the only person here that finds great reprieve in music during their dark times and finds certain artists or albums that speak to them and can lift their spirits up enough to where they decide to see the sun rise another day. Music saves lives, I firmly believe that. For me, the one band more than any other that has always done that for me is The Smoking Popes. Perhaps that may be because of the particular timing in my life when I discovered them, but I think it's more than just that. From the moment I heard them I felt an instant connection to both Josh Caterer's voice and his lyrics. All that stereotypical stuff friends say to make you feel better wasn't working for me, but when I heard these songs it made the world make sense just long enough for me to get my head on straight.
2. My greatest hope is that everyone reading is at a point in their life where they are stable and happy. Being realistic though, I know that might not be the case for some. And if you're at a place like that now please know that there are lots of people here that have your back and that you can confide in (shoutout to https://www.needlesandgrooves.com/t...ort-thread-fka-depression-support-thread.107/ ).
I'm sure I'm not the only person here that finds great reprieve in music during their dark times and finds certain artists or albums that speak to them and can lift their spirits up enough to where they decide to see the sun rise another day. Music saves lives, I firmly believe that. For me, the one band more than any other that has always done that for me is The Smoking Popes. Perhaps that may be because of the particular timing in my life when I discovered them, but I think it's more than just that. From the moment I heard them I felt an instant connection to both Josh Caterer's voice and his lyrics. All that stereotypical stuff friends say to make you feel better wasn't working for me, but when I heard these songs it made the world make sense just long enough for me to get my head on straight.
The Music:
I'd be lying if I said Into the Agony would be my first choice in their discography (Destination Failure and Born to Quit are very hard to find though), but it's GOOD! Really good! Especially after coming off an album of theirs that I wasn't too keen on. The difference? The drummer! That's right, the group is 3 brothers and a drummer. I never realized how reliant that great Popes signature sound was on the drums. Into the Agony sees the return of Mike Felumlee (who you may recognize from Alkaline Trio). The result is something that feels fresh yet recognizable. They try a few different things on this album that work well, some better than others, but in the end the album from start to finish is decidedly them.
Where to buy:
Preference (to support small one man indie label operation ran by the legend, Mike Park)
SMOKING POPES
Into the Agony by Smoking PopesThe first album featuring the original 4 members ofJosh CatererEli CatererMatt CatererMike FelumleeSince the 1998 album "the party's over"In the words of Josh Caterer "all the drummers we've played with are wonderful, but playing with Mike again brought back a...
asianmanrecords.limitedrun.com
Discogs:
Smoking Popes - Into the Agony (Vinyl, US, 2018) For Sale | Discogs
Shop the 2018 US Vinyl release of Into the Agony by Smoking Popes at Discogs.
www.discogs.com
A playlist of my favorite songs by The Smoking Popes
For those wanting to dive deep and learn more about their interesting story and journey, I found this recent interview with Josh really interesting.
Everything from before the reveal found in spoiler below
Important 2nd stage development in the spoiler below
I've been toying with the idea of how I wanted to present this next stage. While my decision can prove to be tremendously helpful I feel like it can make for some fun twists as well. So, here goes.
Each of the main clues represents one of these categories, in NO particular order.
1. Artists name
2. Artists name
3. Album title
4. Artists place of origin
5. Album design
6. Label
7. Individual members
8. A project the artists was involved with
Here's the caveat: I will not tell you guys, offer hints towards, or give any indication of which main clue belongs to which category.
As a reminder, all mini-hints can now be ignored. And when we start to evolve these main hints we are just bolstering their potency. The new main hint won't necessarily replace the old one, but will give you more to work with.
Each of the main clues represents one of these categories, in NO particular order.
1. Artists name
2. Artists name
3. Album title
4. Artists place of origin
5. Album design
6. Label
7. Individual members
8. A project the artists was involved with
Here's the caveat: I will not tell you guys, offer hints towards, or give any indication of which main clue belongs to which category.
As a reminder, all mini-hints can now be ignored. And when we start to evolve these main hints we are just bolstering their potency. The new main hint won't necessarily replace the old one, but will give you more to work with.
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Welcome to the 37th (wow!) N&G AotM! I am excited to be sharing the month with you all! I'll be totally upfront and say that my goal here is to get my album guessed on June 30th whilst also providing a healthy level of clues and fun. I'd like every day to provide something new.
My idea (subject to change) is this, I don't want clues to be free. So I will give you mini-hints to get to the clue (these probably won't be too hard, but it's something to keep us engaged). Once the clue is revealed it will begin its evolutionary life. To best explain this I turn to a Pokémon analogy; The master clue once guessed would be Pichu. If I determine through observation that Pichu appears viable he will battle as such, but if not I may sprinkle in more sub-clues so that he becomes Pikachu. If he still needs more power I will provide even more sub-clues until he reaches his final evolution of Raichu. (Don't you dare get nerdy on me, I don't actually know everything about Pokémon and yes I realize there's probably like 40 evolutions of the little yellow bastard). I will list what evolution the master clue is at.
I also may sprinkle in several subtle clues in terms of my responses to people or maybe even going back to edit a post to make a word bold. These subtle clues, may be designed to throw off the scent just as much as they are designed to help you. (Only these subtle response clues may be designed to deceive, main clues and evolution clues will not be like this. Edit: changed my mind, maybe they will be, but not in a lame way).
A guess, without an explanation, will not be added to the list of incorrect guesses.
Thats really all! I will replace everything above with the write up for the album at the end of the month and will reserve two posts below this. One for hints and one for incorrect albums guessed.
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