- Artist:
Various Artists - Rating:
- Release Date: February 21, 2006
- Type: Collection (various artists)
- Genre: Rock
Review
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 Take Action! 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 indie/punk 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 to indie rock to scrappy punk to -- well, let's stop there before the extreme genre mashing begins. Some exceptions aside, disc one is definitely the more pop-oriented of the two disks. Highlights include Boys Night Out's "Medicating" from their darkly conceptual Trainwreck, the emo bopping of Amber Pacific's "Poetically Pathetic," and the sugarcoated smoothness of "Take Me Away" and "The Only Difference..." courtesy of the Plain White T's and Panic! At the Disco, respectively. The dizzying contributions of the Fall of Troy and 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 punk rock from A Wilhelm Scream and the Riverboat Gamblers, a stylish number from the Briefs, the dirty country intimacy of Lucero's "Sixteen," and a quirky, enjoyable cut from the Hockey Night. Teenage Bottlerocket's "Pull the Plug" is a terrific, rousing rocker, and tracks from the Loved Ones and 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, Teenage Bottlerocket, the Riverboat Gamblers, 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, All Music GuideTracks
CD 1
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| PSA | (0:19) | ||
| I Don't Feel Very Receptive Today | Underoath | (3:43) | |
| Whacko Jacko Steals the Elephant Man's Bones | The Fall of Troy | (4:52) | |
| Sleepers [#][Demo Version] | Saosin | (2:49) | |
| Medicating | Boys Night Out | (4:02) | |
| Crying | Sugarcult | (3:29) | |
| Poetically Pathetic | Amber Pacific | (3:20) | |
| Mental Games | Rufio | (3:24) | |
| Take Me Away | Plain White T's | (2:43) | |
| The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide Is Press Coverage | Panic at the Disco | (2:55) | |
| The Minstrel's Prayer | Cartel | (4:26) | |
| Silver Bullet [Acoustic] | Hawthorne Heights | Hawthorne Heights | (5:00) |
| Chasing You | Nural | (2:39) | |
| Spotlights | (3:08) | ||
| The Truth About Heaven | Armor for Sleep | (3:32) | |
| Patrick | June | (3:27) | |
| Studying Politics | Emery | (3:31) | |
| Ephemeral Addictions | Bedlight for Blue Eyes | (3:10) | |
| Dead Men Tell No Tales | The Receiving End of Sirens | (4:14) | |
| Vulture | A Life Once Lost | (3:23) | |
| Birdo | HORSE the Band | (3:22) | |
| The Proud Parent's Convention Held in the ER | The Number Twelve Looks Like You | (2:36) | |
| Confined | As I Lay Dying | (3:12) |
CD 2
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| PSA | (0:37) | ||
| The Warrior's Code | Dropkick Murphys | (2:31) | |
| Asleep | Strike Anywhere | (2:33) | |
| Fallen [#] | Lagwagon | (2:57) | |
| The Soft Sell | A Wilhelm Scream | (2:30) | |
| Getting Hit on at the Bank | The Briefs | (2:38) | |
| So Obvious | (2:33) | ||
| Pull the Plug [#] | Teenage Bottlerocket | (2:00) | |
| Don't Lose Touch | Against Me! | (2:50) | |
| Sixteen | Lucero | (3:11) | |
| Where You Can't Follow | HorrorPops | (3:06) | |
| Walk Around Me [Demo Version] | Riverboat Gamblers | (2:23) | |
| Liberation | Lost City Angels | (3:14) | |
| Summer Is Here | Darker My Love | (3:22) | |
| 100K | The Loved Ones | (2:54) | |
| Dead and Gone | I Am the Avalanche | (3:40) | |
| A Disruption in the Normal Swing of Things | Cursive | (2:50) | |
| Lead Not Follow | Maxeen | (4:40) | |
| Desperation Is a Stinky Cologne [#] | The A.K.A.s (Are Everywhere!) | (3:30) | |
| For Guy's Eyes Only | The Hockey Night | (2:11) | |
| Leaving Today | Solea | (3:38) | |
| Burn My Body | Broken Spindles | (5:33) |
