''Watch Out!'' is the second studio album from Canadian
post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
band
Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire (pronounced "Alexis on Fire") is a Canadian post-hardcore band formed in St. Catharines, OntarioRoss, Mike. "", Canadian Online Explorer, CANOE JAM!, April 30, 2004. Retrieved on July 17, 2007. in 2001. The band's members are Georg ...
, released on June 8, 2004. The album debuted at number 6 on the
Canadian Albums Chart
The ''Billboard'' Canadian Albums is the official record chart
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given ...
, selling 6,580 copies in its first week of release, and was certified Platinum (indicating sales of over 100,000 copies) by the
Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) in 2007.
[Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum - April 2007](_blank)
/ref>
Background and production
Alexisonfire released their self-titled debut studio album in October 2002. It spawned music videos for "Pulmonary Archery", "Counterparts and Number Them", and "Water Wings (And Other Poolside Fashion Faux Pas)", all of which achieved success on the TV channel MuchMusic
Much is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. It is headquartered at 299 Queen Street West in what was o ...
and its sister channel MuchLoud.[LeBlanc 2004, p. 69] The album would eventually sell 30,000 copies in Canada, and peak at number 127 in that country.[ Throughout 2003, the band promoted the album with two Canadian tours, and four treks across the United States.][
For their next album, the band were told to go with a popular producer, and to record at a big studio.][ Instead, ''Watch Out!'' was produced by the band and Julius Butty; sessions were held at Butty's home studio close to Hamilton, Ontario.][ Butty also acted as engineer and mixer; Brett Zilahi mastered the album.][
]
Composition
''Watch Out!'' is a post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. Like the term " post-punk", the term "post-hardcore" has been applied to a broad conste ...
album, which saw more of a focus on Green's melodic singing, and less emphasis on Pettit's screaming.[ According to guitarist Wade MacNeil, the closing track of their debut, "Pulmonary Archery", incorporated the "atmospheric sound" that the band expanded upon with ''Watch Out!''.][ Pettit expanded on this by the saying the band were listening to a lot of ambient rock acts, such as ]the Appleseed Cast
The Appleseed Cast is an American rock band from Lawrence, Kansas. The band was founded in the early days of emo by singer-guitarist Christopher Crisci and drummer Louie Ruiz. The Appleseed Cast has steadily evolved over the release of eight fu ...
and Mogwai
Mogwai () are a Scottish post-rock band, formed in 1995 in Glasgow. The band consists of Stuart Braithwaite (guitar, vocals), Barry Burns (guitar, piano, synthesizer, vocals), Dominic Aitchison (bass guitar), and Martin Bulloch (drums). Mogwa ...
.[ "Accidents" was written in the basement of MacNeil's mother's house.] "Side Walk When She Walks" uses metal
A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
guitar riffs and different tempo changes. "No Transitory" opens mid-screaming.[ "Sharks and Danger" is a darker track that was reminiscent of "]Spike
Spike, spikes, or spiking may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Books
* ''The Spike'' (novel), a novel by Arnaud de Borchgrave
* ''The Spike'' (Broderick book), a nonfiction book by Damien Broderick
* ''The Spike'', a starship in Peter ...
" (2003) by the Network
The Network is an American six-piece new wave band. they released their debut album '' Money Money 2020'' on Adeline Records on September 30, 2003. After a 15-year hiatus, the band became active again in 2020, releasing a follow-up album tit ...
.[
]
Release
In March 2004, the group went on the Equal Vision Records Tour with Bane
Bane may refer to:
Fictional characters
* Bane (DC Comics), an adversary of Batman
* Bane (''Harry Potter''), a centaur in the ''Harry Potter'' series
* Bane (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film trilogy
* Bane the Druid, a Gua ...
, Armor for Sleep and Silent Drive. On April 19, 2004, ''Watch Out!'' was announced for release in two months' time. Alongside this, the album's track listing was posted online. In April and May 2004, the band went on a tour of Canada with Boys Night Out and Blue Skies at War. On May 27, 2004, "Accidents" was made available for download. In May and June 2004, the band went on tour with Silverstein, Emery, the Higher
The Higher is an American pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada. They were originally known as "September Star". They have released three full-length albums, ''On Fire (The Higher album), On Fire'', ''It's Only Natural (The Higher album), It's ...
, and Hawthorne Heights
Hawthorne Heights is an American rock band formed in Dayton, Ohio in 2001. Originally called A Day in the Life, their lineup currently consists of JT Woodruff (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Matt Ridenour (bass, backing vocals) and Mark McMillon ...
. ''Watch Out!'' was released in Canada on June 8, 2004, through Distort Entertainment with distribution from EMI Music Canada
EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
. The US release occurred three weeks later, through Equal Vision Records
Equal Vision Records is an independent record label based in Albany, New York. It was founded in the early 1990s by Ray Cappo, the singer for the punk bands Youth of Today, Shelter, and Better Than a Thousand.
Initially, the label existed sol ...
.[LeBlanc 2004, p. 59] The following month, the band appeared at Hellfest
Hellfest (), also known as Hellfest Summer Open Air, is a rock festival focusing on heavy metal music, held annually in June in Clisson, France. Its high attendance makes it the French music festival with the largest turnover. It is also one o ...
, and a music video for "Accidents" was released to video outlets.[ In September and October 2004, they went on a Canadian tour, dubbed the Bored with the U.S.A Tour, with ]Moneen
Moneen (sometimes stylised as .moneen.) is a Canadian indie rock band from Brampton, Ontario.
History
Moneen formed in 1999 after the dissolution of another band, called Perfectly Normal. The founding members were singer/guitarist Kenny Bridges ...
, Hopesfall
Hopesfall is an American post-hardcore band from Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte, North Carolina, formed in 1998. They are currently signed to Equal Vision Records. The band dissolved in 2008 after all members, with the exception of singer ...
and Closet Monster.
Following this, the band supported Hot Water Music
Hot Water Music is an American punk rock band formed in October 1994 and based in Gainesville, Florida. Since their formation, the group has consisted of Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard on shared lead vocals and guitars, bass guitarist Jason B ...
on their headlining North American tour for two months, and appeared at The Fest
The Fest is an annual music festival in Gainesville, Florida, United States, which takes place on the weekend of the Florida–Georgia football game (around Halloween). Originally organized by Tony Weinbender, formerly of No Idea Records, it pr ...
. They played two shows in Australia, before embarking on a tour of the United Kingdom with the Bled
The Bled is an American post-hardcore/metalcore band from Tucson, Arizona, formed in 2001. They released four albums ('' Pass the Flask'', '' Found in the Flood'', '' Silent Treatment'' and '' Heat Fetish'') before disbanding in 2012.
History ...
and ending the year with a few Canadian gigs. Between January and April 2005, Alexisonfire toured the US West Coast with Rise Against
Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. The group's current line-up comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes. Rise Against's mu ...
, the US East Coast with Emanuel, the Black Maria and Codeseven
Codeseven is a melodic post-hardcore band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Formed in 1995, their first "official" release (their actual first release was called ''Paper or Plastic'' 996 released through a small Winston-Salem-based label call ...
, and a tour of Canada with Rise Against. Alexisonfire and Rise Against then toured across Europe in April and May 2005. The band toured Canada in September 2005 with the Used
The Used is an American rock band from Orem, Utah, formed in 2000. The group consists of vocalist Bert McCracken, bassist Jeph Howard, drummer Dan Whitesides, and guitarist Joey Bradford. Former members include Quinn Allman, Branden Steinec ...
and Underoath
Underoath (styled as Underøath or UnderOath) is an American rock band from Tampa, Florida. It was founded by lead vocalist Dallas Taylor and guitarist Luke Morton in 1997 in Ocala, Florida; subsequently, its additional members were from Tamp ...
, which was followed with a headlining tour of Europe the next month. They closed out the year with a US tour in November 2005 with A Wilhelm Scream
A Wilhelm Scream (abbreviated as AWS) is a melodic hardcore band from New Bedford, Massachusetts, formed in 1999. Sonically, their music has been compared to that of Strung Out, Hot Water Music, Propagandhi, and Strike Anywhere. Their nam ...
, the Receiving End of Sirens
The Receiving End of Sirens (abbreviated TREOS) is an American rock band from Belchertown, Massachusetts, United States. Formed in 2003, the band broke up in 2008 then briefly reunited in 2010; a 2020 reunion tour was canceled. In December 2024, ...
, Idiot Pilot
Idiot Pilot is an alternative rock duo from Bellingham, Washington, consisting of Michael Harris and Daniel Anderson.
History
After their previous band, pop-punk outfit Azero Cherry, broke up, high schoolers Michael Harris and Daniel Anderso ...
, and 3.
Reception
''Watch Out!'' was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
. AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
reviewer Johnny Loftus wrote that the band "discovered a new yen for moody exploration, and fill the middle of Watch Out! with battered water wings that float on waves of emotion and reverb", though the album "really only refines what Alexisonfire already had the chops and lyrical potential for."[ Keith Carman of '']Chart Attack
''Chart Attack'' (stylized as ''CHARTattack'') was a Canadian online music publication. Formerly a monthly print magazine, it was called ''Chart'' and published from 1991 to 2009. Online content ceased to be updated sometime between mid 2017 to 20 ...
'' opened his review by stating that the "worst part" about the album was that it was "a massive step up" from their debut. He added that it was " re experimental without alienating their inherent style," with a "stronger fusion of thunderous metal riffs and throat-tearing vocals".[ ]IGN
''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
's JR called the album "a fine disc, but boy, things have ''changed''." He went on to note the increase on melodic vocals and the decrease in screaming, which was "a major adjustment, but it makes ''Watch Out!'' feel considerably more balanced".[
'']Ox-Fanzine
''Ox-Fanzine'' is a monthly punk zine from Solingen, Germany, founded in 1988. It is edited by Joachim Hiller and has had many contributors. Besides its focus on punk subculture, it also covers similar genres, reviews of comics, books and films, ...
'' writer Christian Meinders said that the band "perfected their style f screamo to put it positively, or the edges that could still be heard on the debut were rounded off to put it less positively."[ Punknews.org staff member Jordan Rogowski wrote that issues with their debut, such as lack of replay ability and poor production, were "remedied this time around." He went on further to add that " ery screamed vocal, and every single chord is dripping with passion and urgency, and it's all put together masterfully."][ Dylan Young of '']Now
Now most commonly refers
to the present time.
Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to:
Organizations
* Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization
* National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization
* Na ...
'' noted that the "very qualities that strengthened this screamo band's debut are intact: the music is anthemic, the screaming fury impossibly difficult to understand, and the lyrics (when ) slightly above par."[
The album debuted at number 6 on the ]Canadian Albums Chart
The ''Billboard'' Canadian Albums is the official record chart
A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given ...
, selling 6,580 copies in its first week of release. By April 2005, it had sold 50,000 copies in Canada, and 27,500 copies in the US. It was certified Platinum in Canada in April 2007.[Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum - April 2007](_blank)
/ref>
Track listing
All songs written by Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire (pronounced "Alexis on Fire") is a Canadian post-hardcore band formed in St. Catharines, OntarioRoss, Mike. "", Canadian Online Explorer, CANOE JAM!, April 30, 2004. Retrieved on July 17, 2007. in 2001. The band's members are Georg ...
.[
;Japanese bonus track
]
Personnel
Personnel per booklet.
Alexisonfire
* George Pettit
George Frederick Douglas Pettit (born October 2, 1982) is a Canadian musician best known as the lead vocalist of the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire. He is also currently active as the vocalist of Dead Tired.
Biography
Pettit grew up in Grim ...
– unclean vocals
* Dallas Green – rhythm guitar, clean vocals
* Wade MacNeil
Wade Gordon MacNeil (born May 5, 1984) is a Canadian musician, songwriter, composer, and former radio personality. He is best known as one of the guitarists and vocalists of the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire.
He has also provided guitars and ...
– lead guitar, backing vocals
* Chris Steele – bass
* Jesse Ingelevics
Alexisonfire (pronounced "Alexis on Fire") is a Canadian post-hardcore band formed in St. Catharines, OntarioRoss, Mike. "", CANOE JAM!, April 30, 2004. Retrieved on July 17, 2007. in 2001. The band's members are George Pettit (vocals), Dallas ...
– drums
Production and design
* Alexisonfire – producer
* Julius Butty – producer, engineer, mixer
* Brett Zilahi – mastering
* Justin Winstanley – art concept, illustrations
* Garnet Armstrong – design
Certifications
References
Citations
Sources
*
{{Authority control
Alexisonfire albums
2004 albums
Distort Entertainment albums
pl:Watch out!
fi:Watch Out!