Band of the Day - 25: Boysetsfire

There's no doubting my perchant for socially conscious, politically active and justifiably motivated bands (having discussed Fugazi and Propagandhi already on here). Boysetsfire were discovered courtesy of a college friend who gave me a tape (yes a tape) of After the Eulogy, their most recently released record. It ended up having a massive effect on me. It was funny how so many other people felt the same when I gave them a copy too.
They'e part of that melodic hardcore genre so popular during the late nineties, early 00s but they had far more to say than most - plus Nathan Gray could actually sing incredibly well. THey had a brief foray on a major label (their weaker material found on Tomorrow Becomes Today) before quickly being sent packing to Burning Heart for what became their final album. Finding random tracks from long out-of-print EPs was a delight with this band. I found Thursday, At the Drive-In and other such bands around the same time and it informed my musical tastes forever. Boysestfire will always make me feel like throwing all my weight behind a cause, something I believe in. Sometimes I feel like I let down that young, shy nineteen year old who really believed that despite being unpopular, quiet and unloved (sniff), he could do something incredible. Sorry lad, I didn't manage it for you. Boysetsfire will alwys give me the hope they wanted to instill in people, even if it seems wasted - it's worth remembering that it's not, by a long shot.

Mixtape:
1) Pariah Under Glass (After the Eulogy)
2) The Tyranny of What Everybody Knows (In Chrysalis)
3) My Life In The Knife Trade (After the Eulogy)
4) Voiceover (In Chrysalis)
5) Vehicle (This Crying, This Screaming...My Voice Is Being Born)
6) Curtain Call (Live For Today)
7) Handful of Redemption (Tomorrow Comes Today)
8) Nostalgic For Guillotines (The Misery Index: Notes from the Plague Years)
9) Rookie (After the Eulogy)
10) (10) and Counting (The Misery Index: Notes from the Plague Years)