(((((OPENmind/SATURATEDbrain))))): RESET

Sunday, 15 March 2015

RESET

Band: RESET

Genres: Punk / Rock / Skate Punk / Pop Punk / Alternative / Hardcore
Related artists: Simple Plan.
Country: Montreal, Quebec CANADA
Years Active: 1993-2000, 2005-2008
Song: "I'm a Man"
Album: "No Worries"
Year: 1996
Label(s): State of the Union / 2112 Records / Indy Rekordz
This post's artist is from the January 2014 Mix. This is track #8.
You can download: the March Mix#3 right here or get the new April 2015 Mix#4 here.
For fans of: Dinosaur Sex Change, Standoff, No Use For A Name, Hi-Standard, Bracket, NOFX, Pennywise, Simple Plan, Lagwagon, Happy Go Lucky, Strung Out, Blink 182, The Ataris, Osker, Propagandhi, Millencolin and Green Day.

RESET. Oh RESET. Still, very few know who you are. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. The reason I say that is because the primary fellas in RESET became Simple Plan. I can handle people gaining success and becoming teen heartthrobs and such, but when the lead singer of Simple Plan wrote a song during his RESET days, called "Pollution" which is vehemently against that particular lifestyle, it has the entire ordeal leaving a sweaty, urine-soaked and soiled diaper taste in my mouth. When I loved RESET they had yet to become Simple Plan, so the band still strikes a very memorable chord with me.

We'll start with the best (and first) album, 'No Worries' from 1996, which was a very political record. "Why?" was the only song available online back in the day (late 1990s) so my brother and I jammed the fuck outta of it before finally obtaining the cd. For fans of melodic skate punk (especially before it became popular) this song encapsulates the direction they began in with 'No Worries' and combines it with the evolving pop-nature of some of the tracks from their final album of the 1990s. The chorus is catchy as hell and sounds like old Lagwagon instrumentals crossed with less-whiny NOFX vocals (aka Green Day). It's a timeless beauty, this one. "Go Away" screams Pennywise and is one of the stronger tracks on the record. "I'm a Man" has some really good lyrical content, as Pierre discusses sexism and rape from the point of view of the man, which he uses in a very sarcastic and ironic manner to get his message across:
"When you realized my intentions you told me that you didn't care. All I did was scream and broke your harmless little hand because I'm a man. I have to prove to everyone that I can have you when I want and you'll nod your head in vain. I'm a man. I have to prove to everyone that I can cheat on you again." with the song probably being the best on the album, although it took me years to realize it.
"Concern" was a fan favourite which steps into Pennywise and early Strung Out territory. If you're looking for something new to liken this song as well as album to, I'd strongly recommend the young Hamilton boys in Dinosaur Sex Change, who had never heard RESET but play a very, very similar style. The lyrics in particular on this album are very mature for a teenager and deal pretty much all with politics and injustices in the world. This is another reason why Simple Plan is so mindboggling.

A mixed bag of an album, 1999's 'No Limits' was an album I would have given my left nut to get earlier than I did, as getting music in 1999 was nowhere near as easy as it is now. As stated, "Pollution" is the epitome of irony because Pierre's life definitely became a commercial and a rehearsal. But holy lord I was obsessed with the song, as well as the music video. I hunted down the cd and was beyond ecstatic when I finally brought it home. Here are some lyrics from "Pollution", "Some might say I could fit, I never wanted to. You and I we could fit in, we never wanted to. Everyone is following, commercials lead the way. I'm not a walking commercial. My life is not a rehearsal." Wow. Just wow. I still shake my head at the direction shift he took lyrically because holy fuck it's the exact opposite of this. I should also mention the band's excellent dual vocals and the harmonies that they employ. There's an excellent overlap and the two guys really compliment each other. My old band in high school covered "I Know" because it was easy to play. Tis a simplistic skate-punk romp in less than a minute. "Pressure" was the only poppier track I ended up liking as most of those songs had pretty immature lyrics. This song also boasts some alternative/grunge riffs that precede the choruses, and those choruses will get stuck in your head for sure. "Double Cross" is the band's best song if I were to look back over my RESET youth. It's much longer than most (4:33) and combines the skate punk with some excellent vocals and palm-muting. The kicker for this song is that squealing guitar note during the choruses. When my friend and I saw the band play in their post-Pierre incarnation we pleaded with the band to re-learn the song for Warped Tour. Alas, they did not come through. Instead, they started Simple Plan. Goddamit.

Woah, I just found out that the band "reformed" in 2006 with the original guitar player and two other members. I watched one of the videos and...just...no. It's not terrible, but it's certainly not the same. And it's terrible. I listened to a few more songs and they aren't as bad as the video, but it's just not the same anymore. They released two more albums, one in 2006 and another in 2008.

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