ooc - I did this song about anarchy and rioting but it isnt my opinion, it's just for the purposes of telling a story lol. It's all fiction, I don't really think any of this stuff.

RolePlay by Anna
#3/ Choir Boys



Song - Choir Boys
Album - HATA AKA!
Artist - RECKLESS ABANDON
Genre - Punk rock
Length - 2:59
Written by - P. Pilgrim

Choir Boys is the third song from the debut EP from punk rock band RECKLESS ABANDON. It is a hard hitting and massively political track that talks of the downfall of capitalism in favour of many socialist ideals that have become the political haven of lead singer Pilgrim Pilgrim throughout his life so far. It delivers the notion of violence and a range of other punk related topics with a real violence and punch that lend themselves to the notion of unrest and taking the power away from those who have held it for 'too long'. It is sure to be a controversial topic to cover, and the song certainly does not disappoint when it comes to that side of the release. The title Choir Boys is a reference to how people expect youngsters to be in an idyllic world, standing tall and singing exactly what they are told when told to while dressed in their white uniforms, all innocent and well behaved. It is something of an ironic title given how non-conformist the song itself is and the way in which Pilgrim almost commands the listener to join in with his fight.

Despite its truly controversial themes, this song has all the makings of a band classic for Reckless Abandon. It is passionate, loud, and has a very memorable chorus that will be a massive selling point. The band is sure to find that it will be one that is embraced for years to come, thanks to its downtrodden masses theme and the fact that it just paints a picture of everyone together. It is a song that showcases the talent of Pilgrim as a songwriter and lyricist in general, as well as promoting the sheer skill and talent of Envy Pilgrim throughout the energetic and passionate chorus.

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Stream it now! Click here!

The intro - This intro starts in a way that is very different to how the ones that have come before it have sounded. It begins with a massive thump on the drums just as the guitar hits a note and then moves into a slightly technical riff. This plays through a couple of times with just the guitar, and it is immediately evident from this that the pace of the record has really picked up from the two slightly slower tracks that begun the album. From there, the bass comes in along with the other guitar and they play over the same riff a few times before finally the drums come to the party and see the whole band playing the adrenaline pumping and energetic exciting introduction to the song. It is one that has a real punk edge to it but with a little bit of a tone of metal through as well, and it has a chunkiness that allows it to sound like something that can be largely moshed or bounced along in time to. The end of the introduction sees the drums and the bass continue to play the same riff over and over, but eventually the two guitars switch what they are doing to change to a higher pitched chord, which they layer over the top of the other instruments repeatedly until the drum fill signals the introduction coming to an end and the entry of the verse.

The verses - The verses are the most punchy and exciting part of this song. The theme of punk and rioting means that it is important that the songs are led by the lyrics first and foremost and it is here that they come to the forefront more than at any other point throughout the song. The lines of the chorus are far shorter than in any other Reckless Abandon track, with each one hitting the listener in the ear like some sort of anarchy loving word fist. Each one is delivered with venom. They sound almost like some sort of threat against the powers that have allowed the government and other capitalists to exert ultimate control over people. Each of the words comes from Pilgrim with a very raspy punk attitude that the listener can feel he has been fighting to get out for a long time. As he sings of violence and carnage, he sounds very much excited and delighted about the trouble he is helping to cause. In terms of the music in these sections, the drums are loud and simple, the bass follows suit somewhat, and the guitars play high pitched chords in short bursts that allow the vocal to have a real thump behind it. In many ways, this is the simplest song the band has ever done so far. However, it is also one of the most powerful, with its controversial message shining through really prevalently in the verses and the way in which it is delivered ensuring that this has a passion and message that becomes the real focus. At the end of the verses, the final two lines become a little elongated and in the last line, the guitars become faster playing a row of short sharp chords that lead into the next section.

The chorus - This chorus sees the return to action of Envy Pilgrim. Unlike in the first song, where she provided something of a powerful backing to her husband, this is a song where she takes the lead in the chorus. She appears to borrow the required poison and venom for this punk anthem from her husband as she lashes into a chorus that is filled with anger. The guitars are loud and play some heavily distorted chords, the drum kit is battered hard, and part of the chorus is layered with a background noise of group vocals to give off the essence of standing as one and some sort of socialist army that marches towards its perceived goals and glory. Envy allows her own natural charisma to flow here, and she sings with a swagger as she shows off the real talent she has. The song allows her to prove that she has more than just big lungs to hit the large notes as she strips back her own talent to take on a punk rock stylee vocal. It suits the song perfectly. Like the verses, this chorus is far from being subtle or as skilled instrumentally as the songs that came before it on the EP, but it has a thrashy beauty to its passion and its volume, while the lyrical message is far more important than the actual instrumental that comes behind it.

The outro - The outro of this song serves as something of a rounding up of all the ideas that came before it. It takes another method which is reminiscent of punk gone by. The guitars and bass are all silent as Pilgrim's voice is put under a proverbial spotlight. The only accompaniment to the egotistical frontman at this time is the clapping of his own hands in a steady beat and the drums pounding softly along in time. The final verse continues like this as an outro, cutting through the last of the anarchy ideas and tying up the notion. At the very last second of the song, as he reaches the last few words, Pilgrim slides up his guitar and then hits one last big note, his voice echoing out in the silence for a few seconds as the song comes to an end, symbolic of how his ideas will resonate through all time (in his own opinion).

Lyrics

Throw down your placards
Let your banners fall to the floor
Extinguish all your torches
We lost the will to fight anymore
Is this all over
Won't we bring our battles to the front line
I'll be a martyr
A prophet with a bandana, not turning water into wine

Smash smash as I hear the glass break, I watch your empire fall
Marching on your corporate towers plans to kill 'em all
Bang bang I'm gonna take great pleasure in your last word
Let's watch the silent masses rise to have their voices heard
Smash bang smash, let's take control of their markets intercepted,
Profit for pleasure's sake will never never be accepted
Smash Smash as I hear the glass break, I watch your empire fall,
Marching on the Senate, the Reichstag and then Whitehall!

Don't take another breath until you breach the surface,
Take up those agendas,
Break through and fill your lungs with air
We're gonna scream, shout,
Let's fill the air with anarchy
Light a bottle, let's burn them out
From bankers to the monarchy

Smash smash as I hear the glass break, I watch your empire fall
Marching on your corporate towers plans to kill 'em all
Bang bang I'm gonna take great pleasure in your last word
Let's watch the silent masses rise to have their voices heard
Smash bang smash, let's take control of their markets intercepted,
Profit for pleasure's sake will never never be accepted
Smash Smash as I hear the glass break, I watch your empire fall,
Marching on the Senate, the Reichstag and then Whitehall!

It's our time to come out,
to stand up tall but refuse to be counted
A willful neglect that must be outed
This is when we wave our flags of blood
See how our red blows bravely in the wind
Moneymakers to their masts have sheets of white now pinned

Smash smash as I hear the glass break, I watch your empire fall
Marching on your corporate towers plans to kill 'em all
Bang bang I'm gonna take great pleasure in your last word
Let's watch the silent masses rise to have their voices heard
Smash bang smash, let's take control of their markets intercepted,
Profit for pleasure's sake will never never be accepted
Smash Smash as I hear the glass break, I watch your empire fall,
Marching on the Senate, the Reichstag and then Whitehall!

Gimme the new breed over the new revolution
While we continue to seek the ultimate resolution
If there's a fight remaining in our heart
Our ascent to the top will be a work of art
The consumer needs what you tell them they need
But one day we'll halt you, we'll see them freed
Yeah the consumer needs what the consumer needs
Listen to me chant as I sew my seeds

Did you know that I was going to watch you fall
All that time ago when we stood one and all
And we dropped our placards,
Extinguished our torches' flame,
Did you think you were removed of all blame
Now we're on our way so never get too brash
The economy's drop will be nothing like your crash
The recessionary fall will be preferable
Over the way you will smash.

Smash smash as I hear the glass break, I watch your empire fall
Marching on your corporate towers plans to kill 'em all
Bang bang I'm gonna take great pleasure in your last word
Let's watch the silent masses rise to have their voices heard
Smash bang smash, let's take control of their markets intercepted,
Profit for pleasure's sake will never never be accepted
Smash Smash as I hear the glass break, I watch your empire fall,
Marching on the Senate, the Reichstag and then Whitehall!

In the cold light of day we will never show regret
Flames may be extinguished, your city cold and wet,
But we will stand united in the light of morning after
And as we watch you fall to your knees,
Celebrate our rapid rise to the rafters
Pump your fists, never give up, never lay down
Let them see you growl, never grimmace only frown!
Socialist agenda come to pass
Socialist agenda come to pass!

Sounds a little bit like:

RolePlay by Anna
#4/ Songs for Peace and War



Song - Songs for Peace and War
Album - HATA AKA!
Artist - RECKLESS ABANDON
Genre - Punk rock
Length - 5:34
Written by - P. Pilgrim

Songs for Peace and War is the penultimate song on the EP HATA AKA from punk rock six-piece RECKLESS ABANDON. The track is their most reflective and soft on the EP, and in spite of it being heavily influenced by music with less of an aggressive tone, it still manages to obtain and contain the essence that has been firmly in evidence so far throughout the album. Despite its more laid back tones and sensitive sound, the track is still very heavily political, perhaps more than any other that the band have released so far, as lyricist Pilgrim Pilgrim contemplates the parallels of war and peace and how they are constantly running side by side in a volatile union that has the possibility to break at any time. He breaks the proverbial fourth wall with great effect, discussing the use of music as a weapon for both war and peace and how songs can have the power to make a difference when it comes to the people against the higher powers and the ways in which they deal with each other. This song represents something of a coming of age for Pilgrim, with a real maturity to his politics and references, and is perhaps the most contemplative the volatile singer has been to date in his writing. It proves that this is a band with the potential to prove themselves true players in the world of punk and alternative music with the ability to hang around for years to come.

The song questions the link between what governments and other powers say in terms of what they want and what they really want. It asks whether social unrest is a good thing in trying to put across a point, or whether those in positions of power, either from a governmental or socialist perspective, should be sitting down and discussing such issues as how to push forward and make changes that would benefit everyone. It suggests as well that people who are often being painted in the mainstream as being troublemakers or the instigators of some of the problems that come to the fore are actually open to talks about making things better and would more often than not rather see peace than violence. However, it also shows that rioters and other people who get involved in demonstrations and other political movements are still prepared to turn to these as and when they need to. It is a very deep song thematically, and some may be surprised to hear Pilgrim lending his lyricism to something that is so thoughtful and takes into account more than a single perspective. It also brilliantly brings a close the more political elements of the EP, with the themes being covered including discovery and causes behind the anarchy in young people, how socialism and politics can build up in someone over time, the violent nasty side of the punk movement, and then finally the rationale and rather deep, thoughtful and clever side of it.

In terms of style, this is the slowest of all of the songs on the debut EP. It is one that sees Envy return to vocals, delivering a brilliantly harmonised chorus alongside her estranged husband that is as powerful as it is emotional. This suggests passion and desire through what is the main hook of the track. It has a sort of tragic element to it, although the music is not all that dark, and the tone of the guitars and the vocals throughout the track suggest that sort of tragedy in the gap that exists between perceived powers and the people who feel disassociated and unhappy with goings on. Despite it being once again heavily political, this song is easily the most radio-friendly of the band's five debut tracks. It is one that will break boundaries, being very accessible to both alternative music lovers and the mainstream all at once. It has an element of a festival anthem to it, and will be one that is sung for years into the future.

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Stream it now! Click here!

The intro - Being the slowest and most mellow track on the entirety of the EP, this is the one that comes with the slowest and shortest introduction. After a brief buzz of silence that follows the prior song, there is a drum beat that comes in, mid paced, steady and solid just tapping out a few beats on the tom drum over and over. Within a few seconds, it is joined by the lead guitar, which enters with a pleasant yet quite different opening riff. This is picked rather than strummed as a chord and comes over a slight buzz that provides a kind of distant feeling to the song itself. These are the only two instruments that play at all on the intro part of the track, and this alone gives it a sort of stripped back and simplistic feel that may not have been present in the songs that came before it. It is also the shortest of all the intros played by Reckless Abandon so far, and it comes to an end with a seamless switch into the first verse.

The verses - The start of the verses of the song are arguably even more simplistic than the introduction even was. It begins with a quick switch to gentle chords on the guitar, while the drum continues to play its same simple beat. This means that the guitar is quiet and no longer the commanding force it was in the intro. It gives way to vocal, and the two playing this accompaniment makes the perfect frame for the emotional plea and political words that Pilgrim sends out to his followers with this ideal-led track. Each of the first two lines (in groups of four) are sung with a calm voice and in a sort of manner that, by Pilgrim's standards, is gentle and almost kind. This is replaced by the first pace change in the track though for the second half of each of the verses. At this point (the end of the second line), the drums get slightly louder and the bass and second guitar come in just in time to meet a slightly faster and more distorted part of the song, in which Pilgrim's voice becomes louder, more desperate and a little more angry than it was in the section that stood immediately before it. This part lasts for another two lines before it goes back to the opening riff and cycles through this again. At the end of the second cycle (end of the fourth line), there is a moment where both guitars go silent and the drum taps out its single repeated beat for just a few seconds amid the silence. This quiet is then smashed by a slide on a guitar string which brings in the start of each of the chorus.

The chorus - The choruses are very jumpy and energetic when compared to the verses, but they still somehow manage to keep a sort of element of mellow and peace behind them. The drums continue with the same simple single beat pounding over and over almost in a marching style that personifies the notion of two opposing forces marching on each other in some form of cold war square off. The guitars kick back in at this point, playing some happy sounding chords as the drums continue to bang out the constant beat that gives this song its warm simplicity and lends itself to the sense of familiarity that makes it an instant favourite and a memorable track. Throughout the upbeat chorus section of the track, Pilgrim's voice is given a tine that is strong and commanding, his lyrics booming strongly over the music. He makes strong use of his harmony at the end of the fifth and tenth lines of the chorus as well as he holds the notes and allows his own layered vocal to make it sound a little echoing and very "large" in stature. The end of this part is the only one in the song where the drums change from their standard style, playing two quick little fills as Pilgrim slows his singing and holds each of the last two words to give more dramatic effect.

The outro - This is the shortest and perhaps the most violent part of the song. It exists as a way of bringing the story of a desire to work together to a close and bringing everything to some form of a conclusion. This part is more angry in tone, even though it has only one guitar and the drums. While the relentless drum piece is still the same, it plays much louder, alongside the stamping of a foot. The guitar is distorted and buzzing as OPilgrim almost shouts every line of the final outro. It is evident that this is a subject close to his heart as he describes how the desire for change and compromise is ignored by those who hold positions of power because they simply want to retain their status and power at the very top of the tree. The last two lines of this ending are sung without the guitars, allowing the venom in his voice to really spill through and showcase his anger.

Lyrics

If you wanted to dance, we can dance all night with you,
If you wanna speak quite frankly, we'll tell it like it is,
Every word we'll say is true
But we'll fact check when you say the sky is blue
But if you wanna spark our wick and cause ignition
Take the chance to tempt our true volition
We'll never hold our hands up in surrender
From boss to boss and bank to lender

We write songs for war and songs for peace
I pen words to make their actions weak
We sing it clear, we shout out loud,
Another bold lyric to make us proud
Songs for peace and songs for war,
To try to stop their march to control
We'll battle hard or we'll take a stand
Violent mass or quiet command
We write songs for war and songs for peace
What will be will always transpire
But we try to stop another gunfire

Do you remember, the problems caused when we last spoke
The cause of all the issues that we still bear scars from
Maybe we should just fight fire with yet more flame
Because we're only gonna get burned anyway and take the blame
You know it's never your fault, we shoulder the responsibility
But too much weight can break the back and hamper our ability
To keep the peace, to control the context in the media
To rewrite history, so stop the clock and throw out the encyclopedia

We write songs for war and songs for peace
I pen words to make their actions weak
We sing it clear, we shout out loud,
Another bold lyric to make us proud
Songs for peace and songs for war,
To try to stop their march to control
We'll battle hard or we'll take a stand
Violent mass or quiet command
We write songs for war and songs for peace
What will be will always transpire
But we try to stop another gunfire

Trouble is, there's lies laced through every word you speak,
You're outed with hacks and exposed in leak after leak,
Constant denial won't make a difference to our unabating motion
Just help us make a change worth more than a single drop in the ocean
I've stood tall I've crumbled low and never felt more inclined
To drop my sword and shake hands with the man I vowed to find
We're open to opinion, we're not the savages you portrayed
I think you'd happily forget that to have us beaten, whipped and flayed

We write songs for war and songs for peace
I pen words to make their actions weak
We sing it clear, we shout out loud,
Another bold lyric to make us proud
Songs for peace and songs for war,
To try to stop their march to control
We'll battle hard or we'll take a stand
Violent mass or quiet command
We write songs for war and songs for peace
What will be will always transpire
But we try to stop another gunfire

Maybe we should just fight fire with yet more flame
Because we're only gonna get burned anyway and take the blame
You know it's never your fault, we shoulder the responsibility
But too much weight can break the back and hamper our ability
To keep the peace, to control the context in the media
To rewrite history, so stop the clock and throw out the encyclopedia
Historic landmarks make for something in which you build foundations
Every creed and color wants for change for every single nation

We write songs for war and songs for peace
I pen words to make their actions weak
We sing it clear, we shout out loud,
Another bold lyric to make us proud
Songs for peace and songs for war,
To try to stop their march to control
We'll battle hard or we'll take a stand
Violent mass or quiet command
We write songs for war and songs for peace
What will be will always transpire
But we try to stop another gunfire

Born without a chance to build their own alliance
The silver spoon thrust in their mouth the proof of their reliance
Looking down on those rising up
We all should drink from an equal cup
Instead they make one rash decision
Their pledge to keep the same division
They'll live and die by this decision
Their pledge to retain the same division

Sounds a little bit like: