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| The Lawrence ArmsOh! Calcutta!2006 Fat Wreck Chords 
 Review by: Brian See others by this writer ![[staff]](/images/icons/staffsticker.gif){kind=icon}
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Published on March 7th 2006
I hold the Lawrence Arms' Greatest Story Ever Told in very, very high regard. I believe it was a landmark for the Chicago trio once dismissed by some as inept Jawbreaker rehashing, as it found their wit reaching an ultimate pinnacle with sly pop culture references (who would think to coin "Povichian voyeurs?"), a stunningly varied collection of songs (everything from the slow and deliberate "Raw and Searing Flesh" to its brutally melodicore followup in "On With the Show"), and a gorgeously designed, thematically excellent layout complimenting an album already soaking in sociological observation and criticism via left-wing literature references. This is why Oh! Calcutta!, the band's first proper full-length in two and a half years, seems as if a strange, backwards progression for the band, but also as one that comes as they've sharpened their melodies and found a new, catchier-as-ever aggression about themselves; thus, it's an excellent album in its own rights.
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I am late getting into this band despite giving them a chance once every few months for the past 5 years, but am now starting to "get it", thanks to this album. Ha, the org loves the lawrence arms too much. I just skimmed over the comments and didn't see one negative one. Although I completely agree. Amaazing cd. this is flawless punk. I don't think they can top this cd ever. This is the sound that the majority of FAT punk bands have been trying to captue, and only TLA has perfected it. This is a very good album. worth checking out. One of my favorite albums of all time. Good record, but definitely not their best. I like Chris' songs better Looking back.....this was the best album of 2006, hands down. Bitch please. Five stars all the way. so fucking brilliant!! so fucking brilliant!! I never thought The Lawrence arms could crawl so easily under my skin... but this album is a masterpiece from the first till the last second. Bought this album by accident, thought I was buying something else. It makes for decent background music. This album is alright to listen to while driving in your car or something, but I probably wouldn't sit and listen to this at home. I still don't know what band I thought the Lawrence Arms were, but this album wasn't a HUGE disappointment. People, this is punk rock. This is punk rock music. I love this album... When I bought the NOFX Wolves in Wolves' Clothing album and listened to the free sampler disc and heard the Devil is Takin' Names I went out and ordered this CD.... It is bitchin' indescribably amazing. indescribably amazing. Lary33, actually I read an interview with Brendan Kelly, and he himself said it was a song about the warped tour and how he did not like the fact that the warped tour was backed by corporations and the fact that it ruined small venue turnout over the summer months. There are also lyrics in the song that say "Fuck the warped tour, mother fucker". I would say that is bashing the warped tour. Assgoblin, they arent bashing the Warped Tour necessarily from a fan's perspective, but more for the fact that the smaller bands that get to play the side stages really dont get much publicity since all the concert goers are flip flopping between the 2 mainstages all day. Who watches the Volcom stage when BR, NOFX, Rise Against, etc is playing elsewhere?? Y'know I loved all of Brendan's previous projects (Slapstick, Broadways, Falcon) but previous couldn't get into TLA bc of the emo-ish songs and also BKs songs seemed kind of meaningless compared to his stuff from other groups. They were still good but.. This isn't my favorite Lawrence Arms album, but it is still pretty fucking good compared to other music that is being released these days. Suprisingly I like the new dual-vocal thing with Brendan and Chris. My favorite track on this album is the hidden-track at the end bashing the Warped Tour. I am proud to say that I have never gone to the Warped Tour and I never will Probably the best album of the year. This is one of the better, if not the best punk album that came out this year. With bands that are normally good dropping the ball lately (Rise Against, Less Than Jake) its nice that one band seems to remain constant. This is actually one of my favorite Lawrence Arms albums, but then again, that still puts it slightly behind Cocktails and Dreams and Greatest Story...and probably Apathy and Exhaustion. ...So if I had to divide my LA collection between the albums I really like and the albums I'm pretty indifferent to, it would be on the "albums I really like" section. Anyway, Oh Calcutta! just has some really great tracks on it. It's a nice progression for the band and lands far from a disappointment. Everyone says that TLA need a 2nd guitarist... ahh BULLSHIT, they are sooo fuckin' sweet and this record fuckin' rocks!! This is great stuff. Its grungy but melodic at the same time. This is some of the best shit Fat Wreck has released Fuck everyone who gave this record less than 5 stars. one of the most talented bands on fat, and one of the best records of the year. Bset record out on Fat so far this year. Not one bad song on this record record. the second i heard "the greatest story ever told", the lawrence arms became damn close to being my favorite band. this cd is awesome the only thing ive been lsitening to for like 3 weeks listen to cut it up its awesome A very good album but it does not have the same personal feel and intestity as The greatest story. But still one of the best fat albums so far in 06. Of coarse behind the Loved ones keep your heart. one of my favorite bands since middle school...the new cd has just renewed that love...saw them play in gainesville and picked up a copy before the release date...its been played every day in my dorm ever since...these guys rule. thanks bacon i really appreciate that, cheers dude great album, and the songs are absolutely amazing live If someone has a copy of "rabbit and the rooster" please send me an E-mail. I already bought the album at a show and don't want to have to buy it again off of iTunes. I have live shows I would be willing to trade for it. Thanks is it just me, or on cocktails dreams all the best songs were by chris? Anybody want the bonus song? MedioCore could you put the song on Yousendit or something? Just got "The Rabbit and the Rooster"... really good song (sung by Brendan). After a week of constant listening, I can now safely say that this album is outstanding. It's no "Greatest Story Ever Told" but it's still some of the best stuff these guys have done. "Its definitely brenden singing during the break then chris sings "the devil's taking names when the last curtain falls" if you listen really closely you can tell, plus brenden sings clean like that on another song. i dont remember which song it is but its mentioned in the liner notes of cocktails and dreams and it sounds pretty much just like those shitty clean-ish vocals there. if chris had sang that it would have sounded way smoother." What was the whole story about Lawrence Arms getting kicked off the Warped tour or something? can someone explain? Does anybody have the iTunes track The Rabbit and The Rooster? Its definitely brenden singing during the break then chris sings "the devil's taking names when the last curtain falls" if you listen really closely you can tell, plus brenden sings clean like that on another song. i dont remember which song it is but its mentioned in the liner notes of cocktails and dreams and it sounds pretty much just like those shitty clean-ish vocals there. if chris had sang that it would have sounded way smoother. Yeah what the hell is up with the extra track on iTunes, I get penalized for buying it an actual store? To the guy that posted this: Anyone figure out how to get the B-Side without having to re-buy the entire record on iTunes? Just bought this on Wednesday, and I must say, this is one killer record. It took me a little bit to get used to Chris' new style of singing, and I think I still like his singing better on GSET, but it's still good. Good, good shit. This comment in the liner notes made me laugh: Awesome. Not a bad song on this disc. quoted from earlier post: "I stop to think at a wishing well, my thoughts send me on a carousel" "Blink 182 rip-off? I think so." Brenden sings the breakdown part in 'devils taking names' and then chris sings the 'but the devils takin names when the last curtain falls'. i've seen it live. Those lyrics are from "Ohio Is For Lovers" by the steaming shitpile that is Hawthorne Heights. It's far and away their best song but it's still horrible. 'so cut my wrists and black my eyes SO CUT MY WRISTS AND BLACK MY EYES.' Hahaha. A fuckin great cd but not as good as Greatest Story Ever Told by I do like Brendan and Chris singing in unison it's okay but it's no something corporate. so cut my wrists and black my eyes SO CUT MY WRISTS AND BLACK MY EYES. "I stop to think at a wishing well, my thoughts send me on a carousel" just got through watching the Bad Religion dvd... wow... easily the best 10 bucks i've ever spent it's both of them layered together a lot of the time I thought it was the singer of Hawthorne Heights... i thought it was chris and neil i wish one store in my area was selling this i just got the record in the mail today.. i'm liking it a lot so far, but i do miss Chris' songs what's with everyone thinking that's chris singing the little breakdown in 'the devil's takin names'? great album/great review Anyone know where I can see the Daily Show clip with Brendan? Not as good as Greatest Story Ever Told or Apathy and Exhaustion for one simple reason..........THE ABSENCE OF CHRIS'S VOCALS!! That guy has an incredible voice and I actually enjoy his songs the best on Apathy and Exhaustion. 2nd best Larry's behind Cocktails, IMO. www.whereishtebigwigreview.com I liked Threechords Review, it managed to give this record its dues without theoverhype and overscore. This is a great catchy record. For me, its not going to be a classic, but great to put on when I fancy a change. Dudew below me, if theres 12 fucking comments mayybe you should learn to read. You can only get the bonus song if you BUY THE WHOLE ALBUM THROUGH ITUNES. Not just the song. Jesus Christ people, there's been about 12 posts duscussing how to rip off the one song you haven't already DL'd for free. It costs a motherfucking dollar! Oh, thanks. The only other cd I have by them is Cocktails&Dreams, and I didn't remember seeing it anywhere there. I thought their logo was the suicide kings. kirby does ur post down there mean ya put it up somewhere or it is up somewhere There wasn't any damn cake. This was the first cd in like 2 years that I actually went out and bought on the day it was released. I think the one before that was the last Caddies album The hourglass has been their logo like... forever. Way before Avenged Sevenfold made their logo. This album rules because it's all On With the Show and no Raw and Searing Flesh. Is the eggtimer with wings a parody of the A7X logo? this is a fun cd to listen to, play it loud drink some beers and have a good time, end of story amazing album. My review: "OMFG larry arms will be the best thing this year.....no, the best thing in the last 10 years and the 10 years from now you're a cockass from 1992 if you don't think so. when's d4 going on tour? amazing, magnificent, beyond perfection, i can't stop shaking listening to this. bigwig's new one totally rules too. i've stained my 10th pair of boxer briefs now and this is after the 2nd track. anybody see em with nofx? soooo fucking good this isn't a 10/10 it's a 15/10. so when's lifetime's gonna tour again? i'm gonna stain my 11th pair now and the 2nd track isn't even over yet!!! :0" OMFG larry arms will be the best thing this year.....no, the best thing in the last 10 years and the 10 years from now you're a cockass from 1992 if you don't think so. when's d4 going on tour? amazing, magnificent, beyond perfection, i can't stop shaking listening to this. bigwig's new one totally rules too. i've stained my 10th pair of boxer briefs now and this is after the 2nd track. anybody see em with nofx? soooo fucking good this isn't a 10/10 it's a 15/10. so when's lifetime's gonna tour again? i'm gonna stain my 11th pair now and the 2nd track isn't even over yet!!! :0 Anyone else going to see the Arms tonight in Columbus with Latterman and the Blackout Pact? The bonus track may or may not be available somewhere -- you decide. so that's the new thing... About the author getting a promo copy...I got two promos. One for review, one for radio. Both are identical to the real thing, as far as I can tell, save for the hole in the UPC. The song title is a play on a children's book by Judy Blume. I don't think I liked it. However, some of her other stuff was gold. who in the lawrence arms is the big fan of the mr t experience? "Anyone who gives this album less than a perfect score seriously needs to re-evaluate why we listen to punk music in the first place. The Lawrence Arms are why we listen to punk music." "Yes, this would probably be your ideal TLA album. It's pretty sweet, though, it has one of the few songs I've ever repeatedly skipped over on their Fat releases- Old Dogs Never Die. Anyone who gives this album less than a perfect score seriously needs to re-evaluate why we listen to punk music in the first place. The Lawrence Arms are why we listen to punk music. "listen to it dude Are you there Margaret? It's me, a 10/10 review. listen to it dude "the new bracket album is head and shoulders above this one" 'Name a better cd that has come out this year. Anyone?" " If they wrote a CD full of "Like A Record Player"s they would be huge. are you there margret, its me god is probably my favorite song right now. soooooo good dazed- I don't want to waste all my store credit for the b-side alone -- has anyone bought this on iTunes? Listened to this a dozen times and I just got it today. I must say being a Chicagoan my enjoyment of the record is upped immensely, it is a deceisively "chi" record, and not just cause of the art, although that helps. Thematically speaking the album has a lot going for it that just reminds me of the greatest city in the us of a. So I held out until today to hear this cd. Then halfway through on the first listen my cars cd player decided to quit working so that was fun. Anyway I've head it liek 2 1/2 times so far and I am liking it. I am a big Chris fan though so my only gripe is the lack of Chris songs but he is present quite a bit anyway. These guys suck more then Alkaline Trio and Brokeback Mountain! Score is for no Bigwig review...and, ROCK. I'm guessing if my favorite Lawrence Arms songs are mostly on Ghost Stories, the splits, and Brendan's Apathy songs this is going to resemble my ideal LA album? I found Greatest Story kind of disappointing after the first couple weeks of listening to it and I still don't dig it nearly as much as any of their other albums. cant wait to get my hands on this. the b-side is titled 'the rabbit and the rooster' The Warped Tour song is the secret song after Like A Record Player. The b-side is apparently The Rabbit and the Rooster? I haven't heard/seen anything about that song, but apparently it is on itunes... I got this free via Napster and it lists the last, "untitled", song as Warped Summer Extravaganza (major excellent). Fucking Brilliant!!! Every song has so much energy and meaning......Great Lakes/Great Escapes has to be one of the best ones! Totally worth the wait...get this now. Grrreat record, especially on deliciously nerdy limited blue vinyl! Name a better cd that has come out this year. Anyone? "I bought this off Itunes and Rabbit and the rooster is a bonus track. Super fast song, this album 10 star beast!" "Another one of PN's darling bands that I dont get at all." I bought this off Itunes and Rabbit and the rooster is a bonus track. Super fast song, this album 10 star beast! you guys all hare yourselves badly, im only on here to steal an article and use it to find vocabulary words, u guys r talking about people's vaginas, are you retarded Another one of PN's darling bands that I dont get at all. Oh well. At least they arent trying to save rock music. "and im also glad that there werent any songs like raw and searing flesh where chris sounds like a vagina" you guys all hare yourselves badly, im only on here to steal an article and use it to find vocabulary words, u guys r talking about people's vaginas, are you retarded I will have a drink at the bar tonight in honor of how much I've liked this record lately. i really like this record, its just that it seems that brendan's vocals over power chris'. i like brendan's vocals, i just think that the contrast between the two is what makes the lawrence arms so great. also, is it wrong that the secret song is one of my favorite on the album? i'd just like to add that i really like when chris and brendan do songs together....and im also glad that there werent any songs like raw and searing flesh where chris sounds like a vagina The unison lyrics are awesome for the most part, jumping the shark gave me chills the first time i heard it. I sometimes think they do it too much like in Great Lakes/Great Escapes where they did it for the whole song. i have apathy and got bored pretty quick with it, heard GSET and didnt dig it. apparently i missed the boat. what i meant to say is that song cannot be bough individually you cant download on itunes, i think you have to pay for all the albums songs to get it, which i wont do as i already have the cd and not shitloads of cash. Someone download the album on itunes so they can post that B side on You send it!! I wasn't saying it was, I was just saying in response to someone who thinks it is. This shit is awesome. All the stupid douches with leather jackets like the guy that said "I listen to hard stuff" or some shit like that. You're an idiot. This CD is amazing. The Larry Arms ruin everyone's shit. CUAPUNK, download it so we can hear!! this is harder punk? pussy Coming from someone who listens to lots of harder punk: yo has anyone else noticed the oh calcutta b-side "the rabbit and the rooster" on itunes I love the Lawrence Arms. I love Apathy, The Greatest Story, and Cocktails/Dreams, but the new stuff is so much more...Rougher than what they used to play. Granted, it was hard to listen to at first, and I'm not a huge fan right now. Whatever happened to Dillinger Four? They kicked ass... why does everyone crap their pants for these guys and immediately feel the need to list their albums in order of supposed *goodness*?? This album is sooooo tasty. "There is absolutely no mention in this review of what the booklet looks like, or if there is a cool insert in the cd or vinyl." no, this is lifetimefanboys.org The hidden song is sweet. The Lawrence Arms - Oh! Calcutta! no, this is lifetimefanboys.org one of the singers voices (the one who sings the most) is really annoying on this album. well, thats what i think anyway. I'm just now realizing this IS a 10/10. i was overjoyed to see the back page of the liner booklet as i opened up the album this morning. "This record got me excited about music again." yeah, all the great punk and hardcore that can be found on Fueled By Ramen. This is the best chi-town has to offer and it beats out most other towns too. Yawn. Chicago has great punk and hardcore but this isn't on the list. i'm still holding out till i receive my vinyl copy in the mail... which should be any time now He got a review copy, dipshit. They usually don't come with full booklets. this guy named scott left and he got this other job. I should be getting this in the mail in a few days, but I always thought "The Greatest Story Ever Told," while a good record, was the worst Lawrence Arms release. He got a review copy, dipshit. They usually don't come with full booklets. I'm going to call shenanigans on this review. i think Greatest Story.. is still my favorite but this album definitely has more replay value than any of their others This is one of the best reviews that you've written to date Brian -- kudos. Makes me wish I had the time to write. When this first leaked back in "the day", half was awesome and half sucked huge nads. Fuck all you critics! (in unforgiving piles) Best album ever! Anyone else really addicted to 'Key TO The City'? I can't get that song off my mind. Anyone else really addicted to 'Key TO The City'? I can't get that song off my mind. Did this not get distributed in NYC because NOWHERE has it. Good job Fat I havent heard this yet, but Ill rank their other albums. That said, the new St. Catherines album is ridiculously good, Lawrence Arms fans are gonna eat it up... Egad, Oldpunker, just STOP. You're making a fool of yourself. At least be somewhat familiar with the bands and labels you shit-talk. i like it better than greatest story. faster, punker, and the songs are more fun live. Looks like ol father time is coming around, he now gives it a 7/10! Hey dipshit, the idiots who think all the bands on Fat sound like NoFX haven't heard Swingin Utters, Lawrence Arms, Soviettes, or Subhumans. This record got me excited about music again.. it is what it is, get the cum off your face and out of your ears.." 10 outta 10" get real -oldpunker- This is a 10/10. Oldpunker needs to retire if he thinks this is "typical" Fat stuff. Settle down there Bizzle, it ain't that bad.... Chris' vocals are too low, Brendan overpowers this record, I wnated a new Lawrence Arms record, not a new Falcon record. Under those trees/where the pigs lurk and crawl/there are bonfires and parties that are fucking them all/They give it by the inch and take it by the mile/it's one for the beating and it's two for the trial. oh calcutta is a fantastic album. i think ghost stories is their best cd, but this is very close behind it. im glad chris went for the strained and desperate sounding vocals. i always loved that, especially on ghost stories, when his voice would crack or sound really harsh. so badass. he had me worried a little bit with that horrible country twang on the newer recorded songs on cocktails. what was up with that? anyone with me on this? The album took a while to grow on me, but I'd definitely put it up with Greatest Story and Apathy. All three of those albums have been gang banging my cd player for the last month. "COUNT ALL YOUR FINGERS TONIGHT!!!" Someday in the future, that will not be in my head anymore... the lawrence arms leaked!!!!! I don't understand how the plryics stuff was so messed up. I could tell that some of that stuff was wrong when I only had the downloaded version. um...way to misquote the lyrics in the review, guy. it's 'just keep on betting on that horse you love', which is, to me, one of the best lines on the record "First, why is there no Streetlight Manifesto review?" |
