Take Action! Vol. 4 CD

Funds raised from this CD will go to benefitting The National Youthline Network.

Vol. 4 of Sub City's Take Action! series continues the fight against suicide, teaming with the National Hopeline Network and providing contact information for the organization in the liner notes. Disc one even starts with a message from Andrew W.K. encouraging anyone thinking of suicide to call and get help. Take Action! Vol. 4 also includes a host of suicide prevention tools, from a downloadable book to a depression screening tool. Musically, it's a solid mix of punk and hardcore revivalism, louder and softer variations of emo, some alt-metal, and a few indie pop tracks. NOFX contributes the previously unreleased "Concerns of a GOP Neo-Phyte" (reflecting their newfound anti-government sloganeering), while Fat Wreck Chords cowpunkers Against Me! work through an acoustic version of their "You Look Like I Need a Drink." Shadows Fall ("Power of I and I") and Mastodon ("March of the Fire Ants") put a thick metal coating on the core of disc one, while L.A.'s Side One Dummy Records brings listeners the harmony-laden punk-pop of Go Betty Go's "C'mon" and the considerably more raucous Briggs. Take Action!'s second disc includes unreleased material from punk-poppers Brandtson, post-hardcore experimentalists Brazil, and an alternate version of RUFiO's "Don't Hate Me." Roses Are Red's Get Up Kids-ish "White and Gold" is a highlight, as is "Midnight in Shanghai," from artsy emo Oregonians Kaddisfly. Ted Leo & the Pharmacists' "Six Months in a Leaky Boat," Pedro the Lion (the lush, literate "Discretion"), and Now It's Overhead provide an indie rock counterpoint, and Detachment Kit's scraggly post-punk epic "The Race" works well next to Despistado's manically pop "A Stirsticks Prediction." With its effective cross section of genres, bands, and labels, Take Action! Vol. 4 offers something for every fan. It's the disc's hope to raise awareness of such an important issue that makes it essential. ~ Johnny Loftus

2cds.Taking Back Sunday,No Fx, Coheed & Cambria,Int'L Noise C

This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.