The Bad Ends - "All Your Friends Are Dying"
Photo by Jason Thrasher The big draw of The Bad Ends is that it's an Athens, GA supergroup that features R.E.M.'s Bill Berry on drums. It feels like it's been forever since Bill Berry had a musical project, so it's definitely worth our attention. Luckily, their first song lives up to the hype. "All Your Friends Are Dying" is an absolutely perfect alt-rock power pop song. The song is meant partially as a tribute to Big Star, and that's very obvious. It's filled with fuzzy guitars and vocals that seem a bit too abrasive at first until your ears adjust. And then they're absolutely perfect. Of course there will be R.E.M. comparisons, but to me it has more of a Big Star meets The Replacements sound. Mike Mantione (singer/guitar) says of the band's new single: “The song and the video are a celebration of Athens. The song is also a tribute to Big Star and The Glands. I'm really singing it to a friend who missed this special performance of the Big ...