New exclusive vinyl: New End Original's (Far, Texas Is The Reason, etc) 'Thriller' on limited purple 2xLP
New End Original‘s sole album, 2001’s Thriller, remains a true gem of early 2000s emo, and we’re thrilled to be teaming up with the band and Epitaph/Jade Tree on a repress, available on translucent purple 2xLP vinyl, limited to 300 copies, and available exclusively in our stores. It’s the album’s first time on vinyl in 20 years. Get yours here while they last.
Here’s what we said about the album in our list of the 20 best emo albums of 2001:
As many second wave emo bands dissolved, several of the musicians started new bands, and one of those bands was New End Original, who lasted for one album and were basically a supergroup of ’90s emo greats from three different regions/subgenres. They were fronted by Jonah Matranga, whose previous band Far came out of the same Sacramento post-hardcore scene that birthed Will Haven and Deftones (and who had recently begun his more stripped-back solo project Onelinedrawing); guitarist Norman Brannon and bassist Scott Winegard previously played in the NYC emo/post-hardcore band Texas Is The Reason; and drummer Charlie Walker hailed from Midwest emo-turned-alt-country band Chamberlain. And on their sole album Thriller, you could hear the influence of all of their different musical walks of life. Jonah’s voice is unmistakable no matter what band he’s singing in, and New End Original kind of fell right in between the heavier Far and the softer Onelinedrawing. The punchy, punk-rooted guitars felt more like Texas Is The Reason than Far, and Charlie’s knotty, busy drumming gave it that Midwest emo twist. New End Original always felt too intimate and humble to really be called a “supergroup,” but some of these songs had a real concise pop feel that was more similar to what Jimmy Eat World were doing in 2001 than New End Original usually got credit for. It also had a somber side, like the piano ballad “Leper Song” which could’ve fit in with Onelinedrawing’s early material. It’s a gem of an album that rivaled the members’ more famous bands, and it holds up exceptionally well today.
Meanwhile, Jonah’s first onelinedrawing (fun fact: which New End Original is an anagram of!) album in 18 years (which Norman Brannon also played a major role in) comes out in June.
Stream Thriller below and pick up a copy of our new variant here.
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The Year That Emo Broke: The 20 Best Emo Albums of 2001
20. Breaking Pangaea – Cannon to a Whisper
19. Benton Falls – Finding Starlight
18. The Starting Line – With Hopes of Starting Over EP
17. Fairweather – If They Move… Kill Them
16. Something Corporate – Audioboxer EP
15. New End Original – Thriller
14. Hey Mercedes – Everynight Fire Works
When Braid broke up, guitarist/secondary vocalist Chris Broach formed The Firebird Band, and the remaining three members -- frontman Bob Nanna, bassist Todd Bell, and drummer Damon Atkinson -- recruited guitarist Mark Dawursk of Alligator Gun and continued on as Hey Mercedes. They recorded it with Jawbox's J. Robbins, who had also produced Braid's classic 1998 swan song Frame & Canvas, and in many ways, it picked up where Frame & Canvas left off. It'll never be considered as important as that album was, but Bob Nanna & co. had gotten even better at what they do, and Everynight Fire Works proved it. The songs were sharper and catchier than most of what Braid had done, and Bob Nanna's voice had actually gotten kind of pretty at this point -- a noticeable progression from his raspy yelps in Braid. There were, of course, fans who missed Braid's more shambolic sound, but it was tough to deny how strong the songwriting on Everynight Fire Works was. These were just great, anthemic rock songs, and they helped predict the path emo would be on throughout the 2000s. It established Bob Nanna & co not just as underrated forebears of the emo boom, but as one of the era's best active bands.
Pick up 'Everynight Fire Works' on clear with blue/green/white splatter vinyl.
13. Dashboard Confessional – The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most + So Impossible EP
12. On The Might of Princes – Where You Are And Where You Want To Be
These days, the phrase "Long Island emo" makes most people think of melodramatic bands that fuse screaming and clean-singing thanks to the popularity of bands like Taking Back Sunday and Brand New, but before either of those bands reached the mainstream, Long Island's On The Might of Princes had perfected the formula. They pulled from '90s Midwest emo, harsher screamo, lighter indie rock, and their hometown's hardcore and punk scenes, and they fused it into something that almost no other band was doing at the time. For much more on this album, read my 20th anniversary interview with drummer Chris Enriquez.
Pick up a vinyl copy of the OTMOP album here.
11. Owen – Owen
10. The Movielife – Has A Gambling Problem EP
9. Rival Schools – United by Fate
8. Owls – Owls
Like many emo bands, Cap'n Jazz weren't fully appreciated in their time. But after they broke up and members formed Joan of Arc, The Promise Ring, American Football and other bands, interest in Cap'n Jazz rose. The post-breakup release of Analphabetapolothology in 1998 on Jade Tree Records helped a lot too. So, in 2001, when every member of Cap'n Jazz except The Promise Ring's Davey von Bohlen revealed they'd be reuniting in a new band, that was a big deal, even back then. But if you were expecting Shmap'n Shmazz Vol. 2, you'd have to look elsewhere. The band's Steve Albini-recorded debut LP stayed true to the math rock influences that defined the Chicago scene, but this time around, the tempos were slower, the guitars were cleaner, and Tim Kinsella was doing his best to really sing, almost entirely avoiding the off-key shouts that defined Cap'n Jazz. Tim had already started exploring softer, more melodic sounds with his band Joan of Arc, but Owls was more focused and less avant-garde. It was a little more similar to Tim's brother (and Owls/Cap'n Jazz drummer) Mike Kinsella's band American Football than to any of the music Tim had released at the time, but still with that unmistakable Tim Kinsella-ness. At this point, "Kinsella" is basically a genre of its own, and Owls epitomizes that genre as much as any other Kinsella album did. But even within the Kinsella context, Owls stands out as an album unlike any other in the family tree, and it remains one of the best.
Pick up Owls vinyl here.
7. Further Seems Forever – The Moon Is Down
6. Death Cab For Cutie – The Photo Album
5. Rainer Maria – A Better Version of Me
Rainer Maria's 1996 self-titled debut EP and 1997 debut LP Past Worn Searching totally captured the sound and feel of Midwest emo, but by their 1999 sophomore LP Look Now Look Again, they began taking their sound in a cleaner, tighter, more indie rock-oriented direction. By 2001's A Better Version of Me, they pushed their sound even further in that direction and came out with some of their best songs yet. This was a far cry from the scrappy Rainer Maria of Past Worn Searching; these were grand, towering songs that felt big enough to take over the world. By this album, Caithlin De Marrais had developed a soaring voice that stood out amongst the countless emo and indie rock bands of the era, and her singing on this album is still an unparalleled force today. And she used that voice to deliver the same kind of longing, heart-wrenching emotion that typified emo in the early 2000s, but in a way that felt more poetic and less than direct than many of the band's contemporaries. And when she does go for something more blunt ("My baby is in the ground, and she's not coming back now"), it's hair-raising.
Pick up Rainer Maria vinyl here.