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In Honor: A Compilation To Beat Cancer
2004
Vagrant

Various - In Honor: A Compilation To Beat Cancer (Cover Artwork)


Review by: Scott
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In Honor (link)

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Vagrant Records (Logo)

Published on September 24th 2004

There is no true way to review this compilation without saying "buy it now, you schmuck." Sure, over the course of the two-disc, 42-track release, there's quite a few duds. And every time I think about putting pen to paper [er, finger to keyboard?] to voice hatred to, say, Fear Before The March Of Flames or Recover, I restrain myself. Why? Well, because this whole project was compiled simply to raise money for the Sean McGrath Fund and Syrentha Savio Endowment, two cancer-prevention charities with big ties to the punk rock scene. So essentially, for me to complain about quality of some of the bands/songs on this compilation pretty much stamps my one-way ticket to hell. Instead, we'll focus on the musical postiives:

Disc One
After a brief introduction by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones' Dicky Barrett, the disc kicks off in proper with the Descendents' "One More Day." While initially I was disappointed due to the song being previously released, after just one listen I realized it was perfect for this comp, and it sets the mood for the rest of the two discs. Strangely enough, the previously released songs on disc one [from Rocky Votolato, Dolour, Somerset and Nikola Sarcevic} are by and large better than every unreleased track on the same disc.

Exceptions to this rule include Melee's gorgeous, somber piano-only version of "The War," And a surprisingly strong showing from Face To Face with "Coming Out Of Nowhere." Songs like these really capture the attitude of this compilation - anger, heartbreak, loss and sadness. None More Black also contribute the killer "They Got Milkshakes" -- this band is starting to suffer from Braid Syndrome (that is, all of their best songs are on compilations or limited releases).

As for the live tracks present, Jawbreaker's "Kiss The Bottle" is by-the-book, My Chemical Romance's "Headfirst For Halos" is by-the-suck, and the Bouncing Souls' "True Believers" is off-the-hook. I've never been a huge fan of this band, but their passion and emotion come through in this live rendition.

Disc Two
Starting off strong with a beautiful acoustic rendition of Thrice's "Staring At The Sun," the disc quickly slips into mediocrity with a number of half-assed tracks from the bigger names here [Recover, Piebald and a terrible acoustic throwaway of Taking Back Sunday's "You're So Last Summer"]. Depistado rips off At The Drive-In note-for-note with mixed results, and Fear Before The March Of Flames' unreleased song is a joke at best.

But none of that matters, once you hear Motion City Soundtrack's contribution -- an acoustic version of "My Favorite Accident." It's understated beauty showcases frontman Justin Pierre's unique voice as well as the band as a whole's strong songwriting talents. To strip away the fast-paced drums and catchy MOOG and still be this good is a gift.

The rest of disc two plays out without much catching the ear [outside of an interesting, if paint-by-numbers contribution from Minus The Bear] before Big D And The Kids Table's "Moment Without An End" takes the album out on top with the catchy refrain of "I want a moment without an end / I want to spend some time with my best friend." It's this simplistic rhyme that sums up what In Honor organizer Timmy Hansell was shooting for -- just one more chance to hang out with people like Sean McGrath, Syrenthia Savio, and his own mother, who passed away of cancer earlier this year. Questionable tracks aside, the passion and motivation behind this benefit compilation makes it an essential purchase for anyone who truly cares about the healing power of music.

MP3s
Saves The Day - Don't Go Outside [clip]
Emanuel - The Hey Man [clip]



People who liked this also liked:
Ryan's Hope - The Trials Of RecessionGatsbys American Dream - In the Land of Lost MonstersThrice - The Illusion of SafetyBoys Night Out - TrainwreckColossal - Welcome The ProblemsMock Orange - Mind Is Not BrainCougars - Nice, NiceTexas Is The Reason - Do You Know Who You Are?Bear Vs Shark - Right Now You're In The Best Of Hands. And If Something Isn't Quite Right...The Cardinal Sin - Oil And Water



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    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, October 25, 2004 at 8:31 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Decent album, great cause. While there's alot of shit, Paint It Black, MCS, The Loved Ones, Emmanuel, and a few other tracks make it worthwhile.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, October 3, 2004 at 9:16 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    'And a surprisingly strong showing from Face To Face'

    Did you expect anything else?:P

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, September 30, 2004 at 4:28 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    I saw Seconds to go in Portland...they were really good.

    Posted by maverick on 2004-09-29 13:30:11
    My Score:

    I bought my copy of this at Best Buy; something tells me you won't be able to find the Colossal CD there, though. Just order it through Asian Man, their prices are dirt cheap.

    -Scott

    Posted by ColossalBandit on 2004-09-28 18:23:14
    My Score:

    also, does best buy carry this or the new colossal cd?

    Posted by ColossalBandit on 2004-09-28 18:22:49
    My Score:

    Hows the new Big D track?

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 at 6:04 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Goddammit, I can't find this anywhere. Internet shopping, here I come!

    Cancer is fucking evil, I've lost enough family to it to know.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 at 5:40 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    score for the RECO track, killer bra

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 at 3:09 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    The score is for the cause. My mom had stage 3 lung cancer & had 1/3 of her right lung removed. Nothings worse than going to a cancer hospital every day for months while a loved one gets radiation & chemo. My mom was in bad shape, but there were alot of people in far worse shape than her. She had the surgery & is getting better daily. In the months since, she grew her hair & put back on some weight. Just had her six month check up & she's still clean. *KNOCKS ON WOOD* As anyone who has gone through this or similar, you know you wouldnt wish it on anyone

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 at 12:34 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    "Lousy Indie music store clerks. Best Buy it is."

    don't hate on the clerks, a benefit album isn't exactly a monumental release (no offense to those involved). plus the guys at the Westminster Rec and Tape are really cool guys and, for the most part, have great taste in music. plus they're the only place within like 100 miles that sells vinyl.

    and now that i think of it, it's kind of odd someone from around here is posting. small world.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 27, 2004 at 8:05 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Violence is never the answer.

    -BSD

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 27, 2004 at 6:57 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Great review, agreed with most everything you said: MCS and Melee were my favorite bands at the Warped Tour, glad to see people are finally appreicating them.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 27, 2004 at 5:22 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Haha, I'm not hatin rec and tape, I've got the card. It's more so the one here in Westminster I dont like.

    Posted by inagreendase on 2004-09-27 13:31:40
    My Score:

    So how is the Gatsbys song?

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 27, 2004 at 8:11 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    "Anyone know where I can get an MP3 of the Motion City Sountrack song? I really need an acoustic version of that song for a project I'm doing, but can't find the comp anywhere."

    You loser...a project...yea

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 27, 2004 at 8:07 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Dont hate on record and tape traders yo...Buy a club card

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, September 27, 2004 at 7:44 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    I went to my local indie store who hadn't even heard of the comp ["Are you sure it's coming out? Maybe it's been pushed back." Fucking moron record store clerks], so they quickly lost my business to the nearby Best Buy, which had it in stock.

    Seriously! I went to Record and Tape Traders the day it came out to get that and Green Day and the guy was like..."Well...umm....we usually get everything that Vagrant puts out...but umm...(searches computer) yea none of our stores have it....it was probably pushed back"

    Lousy Indie music store clerks. Best Buy it is.

    Posted by stevejonestherealbones on 2004-09-27 01:40:26
    My Score:

    this title reminds me of an onion article. its hilarious

    "6,000 Runners Fail To Discover Cure For Breast Cancer
    ATLANTA—Despite their diligent, dedicated running, the 6,000-plus participants in Sunday's 5K Race For The Cure did not find a cure for breast cancer. Hopes were high, given the excellent weather... "

    you have to pay to read the rest though.

    -jones the bones

    -stevejones8770@yahoo.com

    Posted by maverick on 2004-09-26 23:38:30
    My Score:

    "Anyone know where I can get an MP3 of the Motion City Sountrack song? I really need an acoustic version of that song for a project I'm doing, but can't find the comp anywhere."

    I went to my local indie store who hadn't even heard of the comp ["Are you sure it's coming out? Maybe it's been pushed back." Fucking moron record store clerks], so they quickly lost my business to the nearby Best Buy, which had it in stock.

    If you can't find it at Best Buy, go to interpunk.com or something.

    -Scott

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, September 26, 2004 at 8:21 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Cancer sucks. This is a good CD. If you don't buy it, you support cancer's crusade against good people. Plus, it also means you love terrorism.

    In conclusion, buy this CD. Downloading's for fucking loosers.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, September 26, 2004 at 7:06 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Anyone know where I can get an MP3 of the Motion City Sountrack song? I really need an acoustic version of that song for a project I'm doing, but can't find the comp anywhere.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, September 26, 2004 at 4:33 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Seconds to go was just out on tour with Face to Face and my chemical romance for the farewell tour.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, September 26, 2004 at 4:09 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Why is everyone so anti-scott all of a sudden? I'm not "kissing his ass" or anything, I'm just saying, do you want him to talk about EVERY song on a 40-something song compilation? I think he is doing a good job and even if I don't agree with his reviews 100% I still think he is good at letting you know alot about an album(what it sounds like, etc).

    Posted by ThreeChordsAndTheTruth on 2004-09-26 14:09:41
    My Score:

    I wanna hear that De-whatever ATDI ripoff song.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, September 26, 2004 at 12:22 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    scott, why don' t you drink you fucking pussy? do some drugs, maybe these reviews will get better. fucking straight edge faggot.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, September 26, 2004 at 1:42 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Very little mention of Somerset in this review...you're slipping Scott.

    -Jesse

    Posted by BizzleBrizzle on 2004-09-25 22:44:03
    My Score:

    Ahaha, I IM'd his radio station once claiming I was Jesus

    Posted by maverick on 2004-09-25 22:13:30
    My Score:

    "has anyone else noticed that scott, since hes departure from his postion on this site, has started callin people *fuckin morons* a lot?"

    Shut the fuck up, bitch.

    -Scott

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 25, 2004 at 9:14 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    that seconds to go band sounds pretty rad. has anyone heard of them? are they touring or anything?

    Posted by recordings on 2004-09-25 20:07:22
    My Score:

    has anyone else noticed that scott, since hes departure from his postion on this site, has started callin people *fuckin morons* a lot?

    haha i find it very amusing. i suppose when you aint in charge you can resort to petty name calling like the rest of us. careful....its like a drug.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 25, 2004 at 7:19 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    "pull your poster i've been looking for some anSWERS"

    those arent even the right lyrics fool

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 25, 2004 at 4:35 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    pull your poster i've been looking for some anSWERS

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 25, 2004 at 3:14 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    i said i'm gonna have myself in shambles

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 25, 2004 at 2:01 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    "As for the live tracks present, Jawbreaker's "Kiss The Bottle" is by-the-book, My Chemical Romance's "Headfirst For Halos" is by-the-suck, and the Bouncing Souls' "True Believers" is off-the-hook."

    Hahahaha. That line rules. It seems as if the people that really wanted to contribute something to this cause have the best songs on this comp. I think I mean to say that you can definately tell the people that actually feel that this is something important as opposed to something that is just another comp (cough cough, taking back sunday, cough).

    Posted by stevejonestherealbones on 2004-09-25 13:10:59
    My Score:

    hows the kicked in the head track?

    - jones the boner

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 25, 2004 at 12:07 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Score is for The Casket Lottery

    Posted by BizzleBrizzle on 2004-09-25 11:33:54
    My Score:

    I said I skimmed through it...I was trying to wade through the crappy bands he was talking about and I missed it, he still didn't mention the Paint It Black or The Loved Ones songs...

    Posted by TrailerParkJesus on 2004-09-25 09:00:31
    My Score:

    "Sorry, the review had so many shitty bands I didn't feel like wading through them..."

    ....What the fuck is wrong with you? You bitch at scott for 'not' doing something he actually did, then you say you didn't really read the review? you really are a fucking moron.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 25, 2004 at 7:10 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    My Chemical Romance's "Headfirst For Halos" is by-the-suck

    Score's for that part.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 25, 2004 at 4:11 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    hey idiot, i have cancer

    Posted by maverick on 2004-09-25 01:01:45
    My Score:

    He basically just thanks the listener for buying the comp, and talks about cancer prevention and such. Nothing monumental.

    -Scott

    Posted by Fuzzy on 2004-09-25 00:48:45
    My Score:

    Scott-
    What's Dicky's intro say? As a rabidly obsessive 'Tones fan on a less than minimum wage stiped from Americorps, I needs to know without hearing the album..

    Posted by BizzleBrizzle on 2004-09-25 00:07:43
    My Score:

    Sorry, the review had so many shitty bands I didn't feel like wading through them...

    Posted by maverick on 2004-09-24 23:49:18
    My Score:

    Boy, if only I would've written about the None More Black song...

    None More Black also contribute the killer "They Got Milkshakes," this band is starting to suffer from Braid Syndrome (that is, all of their best songs are on compilations or limited releases).

    Oh wait. You're a fucking moron.

    Also, I love Minus The Bear, but this song is nothing special from them.

    -Scott

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, September 24, 2004 at 11:15 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Score is for Scott's reviews as of recent.

    Giving out way too many 4 stars to 2 star CDs IE the green day CD. Give me a break, what mediocre rubish.

    Posted by BizzleBrizzle on 2004-09-24 23:08:07
    My Score:

    WTF?

    Nothing about None More Black?

    Nothing about Paint It Black?

    Nothing about The Loved Ones?

    I do believe all three contributed a song...death to the reviewer, and is he dissing Minus The Bear? WHY I AUGHTA!

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, September 24, 2004 at 10:52 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    the minus song rules.

    fuck the decendents. overrated corporate bullshit.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, September 24, 2004 at 9:16 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Dude, what about the Paint it Black track? Their new album is going to kick ass if this track is any indication.