Northstar

 

Northstar were a four-piece emo/pop punk band from Huntsville, Alabama that formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2005. In that time, they evolved quite a bit. While starting off as a melodic hardcore band with chunky, metallic riffs, throughout their run of early demos you can gradually hear the Jawbreaker, Sunny Day Real Estate, Knapsack, and The Get Up Kids influence seep in, right up to the release of their debut LP. Is This Thing Loaded? is a rambunctious effort with driving, distorted guitars, while their sophomore album Pollyanna is a little cleaner, more reserved, and effortlessly catchy in its overlayed vocals, dual guitars, and melodic embrace. Both albums were put via Triple Crown Records before they broke up, with only a compilation release coming posthumously of various demos and acoustic stuff (including a damn good cover of Jawbreaker's "Chesterfield King"). Though contemporaneous with a little of similitude to the likes of Taking Back Sunday, Further Seems Forever, The Early November, and Hot Rod Circuit, Northstar never quite got the recognition they deserved, and if you're into the aforementioned bands, you are going to undoubtedly love this. Enjoy.

Hardcore Demo (1997)

1. Torn Between

2. What Happened?

3. Falling Stars From Your Eyes

4. Still With You

5. Realizing Tonight

6. Hope That Hurts

6 Song Demo (1999)

1. Blindcrush

2. Dying Slowly

3. Rocket City

4. Unraveled (80's Rocker)

5. For Anyone But You

6. Arrows

There's More Where This Came From Demo (2000)

1. There's No Train Hopping In Dixieland

2. Black Heart Valentine

3. My Wishing Well Disease

4. Cinderella

5. Daybreak

Is This Thing Loaded? (2002)

1. Rigged & Ready

2. Is This Thing Loaded?

3. Broken Parachute

4. My Ricochet

5. My Wishing Well Disease

6. Taker Not A Giver

7. Daybreak

8. Train Hopping in Dixieland

9. Cinderella

10. Black Heart Valentine

Pollyanna (2004)

1. For Members Only

2. Pollyanna

3. American Living

4. The Pornographer's Daughter

5. Like A.M. Radio

6. The Accident Underwater

7. Two Zero Two

8. To My Better Angel

9. Between Horns and Halos

10. Digital Me

11. Rocket City

Broken Parachute (2008)

1. Broken Parachute (Alternate Version)

2. My Ricochet (Acoustic)

3. For Members Only (Acoustic)

4. Chesterfield King (Jawbreaker cover)

5. Piano Jam

6. Taker Not a Giver (Demo)

7. Is This Thing Loaded? (Demo)

8. Broken Parachute (Demo)

9. Black Heart Valentine (Piano Version)

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