Radiosurgery (album)
Encyclopedia
Radiosurgery is the seventh studio album
by American rock
band New Found Glory
and was released on October 4, 2011 through independent label Epitaph Records
. To follow up Not Without a Fight
(2009), the band began writing new material during their stint on the 2010 Honda Civic Tour. After self-producing a set of demos
and contacting long-term record producer
Neal Avron
, the quintet went on to record the album in Avron's home recording studio
over a period of three months in 2011. The band set out to write an album that paid homage
to classic punk rock
records that first inspired them to form a band during the 1990s. Listening extensively to the likes of early Green Day
, Ramones
, and Rancid
, New Found Glory strove to create a sound that could "bridge the gap" between old and new generations of the genre.
The album title is a metaphor
, referencing the actual medical procedure radiosurgery
. The lyrics were directly inspired by events in the bands personal lives, after one member suffered a long-term relationship breakup
. Radiosurgery was written as a concept album
about the different stages an individual goes through after a separation, including feelings of regret
, sadness
, insanity
and events such as one night stand
s. The band looked up several brain surgeries, later settling on Radiosurgery, using the idea that instead of using the procedure to remove a tumor
from the brain, one could remove memories.
The first official single
from the album was title track "Radiosurgery
", released on August 2. Upon its release, Radiosurgery was a moderate commercial success, debuting at number twenty six on the Billboard 200
, number four on the Top Independent Albums chart, and number one on the Hard Rock Albums chart. The album was also generally well received by music critics, who noted its throwback sound and infectious songwriting.
after signing with Epitaph Records
. The band then underwent extensive touring to promote the album, including a headlining slot at the 2010 Slam Dunk Festival alongside Alkaline Trio
and Capdown
. Later, following a bout of pneumonia
, Chad Gilbert underwent surgery to remove suspicious cells found in his thyroid
before releasing some solo work on his website under the pseudonym
of What's Eating Gilbert?. Gilbert later posted on his Twitter
account that the surgery had been a success, before the band started a new tour to promote the tenth anniversary re-release of their self-titled second album
. The anniversary tour saw the band play the album in its entirety, although despite Gilbert's recovery, Anthony Raneri of Bayside
replaced him for the first three legs of the tour as a precautionary measure. It was during the band's stretch on the 2010 Honda Civic Tour that they began writing new material. Jordan Pundik
told Texas
-based publication MagX in September that a new album would "probably be recorded in January", and upon being asked what the new material would sound like, he added "We always let it happen. We're a real band. We obviously have a vision of how we want it to "sound" but the songs are always what feels right and true to who we are."
Shortly afterward in a November interview with Reverb music magazine
, the band's chief lyricist Steve Klein
reported that new demos
were in the works and that his early indications were that the songs would make for a "really catchy summer record." Klein went on to explain the bands procedure when writing new songs, noting that in the early stages Chad Gilbert will write new guitar riffs, before sending them to Klein, who in turn begins work on lyrics
and harmonies alongside frontman Jordan Pundik. The band will then collectively begin writing their own instrumental parts, with Klein summarizing, "Ever since we started the band we’ve always had the same kind of writing routine where we write the music first, do some lyrics and then begin to record demos." Pundik added that unlike earlier in their career, the band can now simultaneously work on new material together over the internet
. "The overall process hasn’t really changed, but now it’s kind of like we can do it through Skype
, or iChat
or something. It’s kind of cool because we can be at home and work on songs. Before, when we would write songs we would write on the road touring in the van; I remember Cyrus playing drums on the steering wheel and Chad with an acoustic guitar in the passenger seat, you know? So it’s definitely a lot easier." In the new year, the band released a teaser trailer
, containing footage of them in the studio recording demos.
for six years, the band had wanted to recruit him once again to produce a new album. Avron was responsible for producing the bands three most commercially successful records; New Found Glory
(2000), Sticks and Stones
(2002), and Catalyst
(2004). The band wrote and self-produced three demos, before sending them to Avron by email
for his evaluation. However, Avron was not overly impressed, stating the songs were "okay, but I don’t really think they’re that great.” The band responded by completing a new set of six tracks, but no avail, as the producer was still not convinced. This left the band frustrated, as they believed the new material to among the best songs they had written. Gilbert was persistent though, and after recording another eight demos that went back-and-forth with the producer, the band announced in November that Avron had agreed to produce the album and recording would commence in the new year. Gilbert has said that this process with Avron helped push the band to compose better songs; "There’s only one song that we’re recording for the album from the original demos we sent him. It was cool having him push us, because we sort of had a vision on this record, and he really wanted to get that out of us. It’s a step forward for our band, definitely [in terms of] songwriting." Gilbert has called Avron the "unofficial sixth member" of the band, because of his open honesty and willingness to push the band. The band entered Avron's home studio, named The Casita, in April to begin tracking. Aside from writing and recording two new songs in May, the remaining batch of songs had been with the band a long time, making recording "rather easy".
The producer is known for his particular recording techniques and prefers laying down the rhythm section
of guitar
and drums
first, as opposed to the usual method of drums and bass guitar
. Avron has noted, "Over the years I've had issues with recording bass first, especially when someone is hitting the strings really hard. For me it's difficult to tell whether the bass is in tune, because the fundamental is so low. When laying the rhythm guitars down first, it's much easier to tell whether the bass is out of tune or not. It also means that the bass has a place to fit." Indeed, Jordan Pundik reflected on the recording process by stating, "It was pretty smooth, we kind of go in there and do the drums first, which takes a couple of days. Then you do the guitars before I lay down vocals. It's kind of like this factory
. It's not like before when we were trying to figure out what guitar sound we wanted, now we've established how we want to sound and what we want to do." The band revealed that Avron suggested "simplifying" some of the songs whilst recording. According to guitarist Steve Klein, certain songs had "crazy guitars", but Avron pushed the band to "make the melodies and vocals stand out, to enforce the lyrical themes." Gilbert had the idea to use his backing vocals more prominently on the record, hoping to add some extra dynamics to a songs chorus. He noted that Rancid
's Tim Armstrong
and Lars Frederiksen
were an influence on this decision. Towards the end of recording, the band invited Bethany Cosentino of indie rock
band Best Coast
to provide backing vocals on a track later confirmed to be titled "Caught in the Act". Cosentino is a fan of the band, and became friends through Twitter
. Gilbert explained that the song is the "slowest" on the record, despite each being "upbeat", and somehow "called for a female backing vocal". Cosentino later commented after hearing the final version of the track that she was "stoked" for people to hear it and called it a "classic pop punk gem". Recording was completed at the beginning of June, with the band later confirming on 18 June that mixing
and mastering
had also been finalized.
, old Lookout! Records
stuff, Green Day
's Dookie
, Descendents
, Rancid
's Let's Go and that's pretty much it." Gilbert had a direct musical vision for the album, similar to how he describes that Coming Home
(2006) had, as opposed to Not Without a Fight
(2009) where the attitude was simply "let's record a New Found Glory album." The band strove to "apply the throwback vibe to their always-evolving style," by incorporating the elements from those classic albums; "it was simple, it was fun, it was heartfelt, but it also kind of had an attitude," with the hallmarks of their own career. Gilbert described how he wanted to "bridge the gap between generations", hoping for reactions such as "Dude that’s totally Ramones, but it’s not the Ramones, it’s New Found Glory. Or like, Dude, that totally reminds me of when I heard Dookie for the first time, but it’s totally not, it’s New Found Glory." As such, the band were meticulous in the writing process, discarding anything that was not in line with the albums vision or songs that felt "safe". Gilbert described that because they wanted a "fun, punk, upbeat record," any songs he would write that appeared "a slower, mellower, mid-pace thing," would be scrapped. Jordan Pundik told Rock Sound
magazine that, "[With Radiosurgery] we simplified the songs. There's no riffing or jamming going on. It's just straight up and in-your-face."
Lyrically, the album is themed around the mental state of dealing with a relationship ending. Similarly to Not Without a Fight, which dealt with the divorces suffered by Gilbert and Pundik, Radiosurgery was inspired by one band member almost "losing their mind." due to a "severe" separation. It was later revealed that it was in fact bassist Ian Grushka's divorce
in October 2010 that inspired the record. Grushka's nine year marriage, including two children, reached a bitter conclusion with the bassist noting, "It's crazy how quickly love can turn to hate. Basically, this last year, I've lost my mind completely. It takes time, it's been hard." Grushka turned to Klein for support, often writing notes and calling his band mate over the phone to discuss his feelings. The albums lyrics are directly about the different emotions Grushka went through after the divorce, including sadness
, regret
, and feeling on the verge of insanity
. In an interview with NME
magazine, the guitarist pointed out, "If you're in a long-term relationship and it came to an end, you go through stages of regret, then you're sad, angry. Then you kind of lose your mind and want to go out with your friends, have a good time [and] get into trouble. Then you just want to forget this person. Our idea is that after going through all these stages, you can't get the past out of your head, so you could surgically remove it from your mind." The single "Radiosurgery" was one of the final songs written for the album and was chosen as the title track in order "to encompass the whole record, like the complete thought. It's concept is much like the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
, according to guitarist Steve Klein. The song also contains the lyric "it makes my brain hurt", a direct homage to the Screeching Weasel
song "My Brain Hurts
", while portraying a person suffering from auditory hallucination
. Meanwhile, "Anthem for the Unwanted" is a song about "the point in a relationship where you pretty much are getting kicked out. It’s pretty much the beginning of the end." While "I'm Not the One" is specifically themed around a one night stand
, which Gilbert describes as "going out and doing something that you know you shouldn’t be doing – and still going through with it. Because, that’s life. People make mistakes."
Early reactions to the single noted similarities to the earlier work of Green Day
. In a track-by-track guide of the album, the bands drummer
Cyrus Bolooki explained that "Drill it in My Brain" is a "pretty rhythmic song with a nice steady beat
," while "Summer Thing, Don't Mean a Thing" contains "absurd amounts of percussion going on in the background of the verses", and "Map of Your Body" features a bridge
that has almost a "punk rock prom
vibe." Upon hearing an advance copy
of the full album, AbsolutePunk CEO Jason Tate was of the opinion that the album was similar in style to the bands self-titled second album
, while Thomas Nassiff expressed that "throughout the album, Gilbert and Klein combine for even more crunching, downward-aiming, dominating guitar riffs than ever." Annie Zaleski of Alternative Press suggested that musically, the album often recalls classic punk rock
. "The jagged riffs of "Summer Fling, Don't Mean a Thing" echoes Cheap Trick
's late 70s golden years. "Ready, Aim, Fire!" wouldn't be out of place on a Dropkick Murphys
disc, while the speedy "Memories and Battle Scars" conjures the aggression of the Descendents
." Tom Williams, writer for UK magazine Big Cheese
, stated how he felt the album sounded like "millennium era NFG with nods to ulterior influences." Kerrang!
journalist David McLaughlin thought the album contained a "familiar but mint-fresh sound." He explained how "eighth track "Caught in the Act" sways and grooves like a long-lost Weezer
gem. Elsewhere, having gone back to their musical roots and digging out their favorite Green Day, Ramones, and Descendents records - a clear spirit of nostalgia has reignited their spark." The Boston Globe
correspondent Scott McLennan described "Drill it in My Brain" as "a tangled mess of relationship rights and wrongs, all made palatable with a cool pop swagger and murky keyboard
riff." While album closer "Map of Your Body" draws "a nice punk-rock-to-doo-wop connection." Andy Ritchie of Rock Sound
noted that "the albums focus is "very much on back-to-basics pop punk. This is how the Ramones pioneered it, and how Green Day perfected it during their early days."
, where a patient is treated by x rays or gamma rays to remove a tumor
or growth from the brain. The band feel that the concept is very similar to the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
, where a couple erase
one another from their memories. Chad Gilbert revealed that since the band last wrote new material in 2008, one member suffered a "severe" divorce. "It’s for them to talk about, not me. Someone pretty much lost their mind [and] did a lot of things that were pretty scary for all of us. We’ve all been through that. I wrote about it on our website, certain things sort of haunt you in your life. That’s where the title [Radiosurgery] comes from, it’s like a brain surgery."
In the album's liner notes
, a mock dictionary
-like definition
is printed. It explains that "Radiosurgery is a medical procedure that allows non-invasive treatment used to target unwanted memories in the brain. Radiosurgery operates by directing highly focused waves of ionizing sound with high precision. It is a relatively recent technique (1997), which has been shown to be beneficial for the treatment of past regrets and lost love." On 2 August, the albums artwork and packaging details were released. It was confirmed that the album would be available in a number of formats, including a standard CD, a deluxe edition double CD featuring four exclusive b-sides, including a cover of the Ramones
hit "Blitzkrieg Bop
", a limited 12" pink vinyl LP, a special slipmat
, as well as various other merchandise packages. The album booklet and cover art was designed by artist
and clothes designer Kyle Crawford. The brain
logo was designed to symbolise the theme of the album, with Chad Gilbert explaining "We talked about the brain and Radiosurgery. We talked about wanting an image we could put on a lot of things. We wanted to have that feeling, that look."
would be title track "Radiosurgery
", later released as a digital download
on 2 August. That same day, the albums track listing, cover art
and release details were also issued. It was confirmed that Epitaph Records
would release the album on CD
, vinyl LP, and digital download
formats on 30 September in Australia
, 3 October in Europe
, and 4 October in the United States
. American retailer Interpunk.com held a limited supply of albums available with the CD booklet exclusively signed
by the band. Earlier, NME
magazine reported that the band had confirmed a small run of club shows in the UK leading up to their main stage performances at the Reading and Leeds festivals
in August. In direct promotion of the album release in October, it was announced on 1 August that the band would be headlining a 37-date Rockstar
-sponsored "Pop Punk's Not Dead Tour" in North America
ahead of Set Your Goals
, The Wonder Years
, Man Overboard
, and This Time Next Year
. The tour commenced on 6 October in Santa Cruz, California
and ran through to 20 November in San Diego. AbsolutePunk ran an exclusive competition on their website, with five pairs of free tickets available for the tour including a meet-and-greet with the band back stage.
Anticipation for the album was increased when Alternative Press magazine issued their annual "20 Must-Hear Fall Releases" list, which included New Found Glory's Radiosurgery, while Rock Sound
magazine called Radiosurgery, "the most eagerly anticipated pop-punk album of the summer." The Buffalo News
noted that alongside another batch of strong releases within the genre, Radiosurgery is helping pop punk
regain its relevance and popularity. The following week, the band announced via Twitter
that they would be shooting a music video
for the title track. The video was shot at the Linda Vista Hospital
in Los Angeles
with Meiert Avis
and premiered on 14 September. Aside from other promotional work in the UK leading up to their appearances at Reading and Leeds, Chad Gilbert and Jordan Pundik performed an exclusive acoustic
version of "Radiosurgery" for music webzine Alter The Press. Kerrang!
magazine announced on 31 August that the band had released a short making-of
video with footage of them in the studio recording the album. It was reported on 9 September that the band would be completing a short tour in Brazil
with support from Four Year Strong
during January 2012. The band will play in Porto Alegre
on 10 January, later playing Curitiba
and São Paulo
, before closing in Rio de Janeiro
on 15 January. In the fortnight prior to the albums release, the band ran three exclusive "World Premieres
" with the LA based KROQ Radio
. Album tracks "Anthem for the Unwanted", "I'm Not the One", and "Dumped" were streamed daily on 20, 21, and 22 September respectively. On 27 September it was announced that another album track, "Summer Fling, Don't Mean a Thing" would be available for free download
on iTunes
. That same day, it was revealed that Radiosurgery was being streamed online in its entirety via Alternative Press. Fans had to complete a game
similar to Operation
in order to unlock each track. Shortly afterward, it was announced the band would be returning to the UK to co-headline the 2012 Kerrang! Tour
during February alongside Sum 41
.
, Radiosurgery debuted on the ARIA Charts
at number 50, and at number 44 on the Digital Albums Chart. According to building album sales data compiled by Hits Daily Double, the album was projected to have sold some 10,555 copies during its opening week sales in the United States
, allowing it to enter the Billboard 200
at number thirty five. The album eventually charted at a higher position of twenty six, whilst also topping the Hard Rock Albums chart. Radiosurgery also reached number four on the Top Independent Albums chart, as well as entering the Alternative Albums and the Tastemaker Albums charts at number nine and seven respectively. The Tastemaker chart is not decided by record sales, but compiled by ranking new albums based on "an influential panel of indie stores and small regional chains." Overall, this marked a drop in performance compared to its predecessor Not Without a Fight
(2009), which debuted at number twelve on the Billboard 200. It was also the bands first album since their self-titled second album
(2000), that failed to enter to top twenty of the Billboard chart. The album was released in a competitive week, with albums by Feist, Rodney Atkins
, and Jack's Mannequin
also debuting. It was also revealed that the weekly sales figures of 5.13 million units, was down 8% compared to the sum of the previous week.
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream music critics, the album received an average score of 68, based on 8 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews." Annie Zaleski of Alternative Press called Radiosurgery "focused and precise" while awarding four stars out of five in her review. She noted that the album is rich on "summary riffs and brisk tempos", before summarising, "by refusing to settle for "good enough" - and by creating a homage to youthful, timeless pop punk - New Found Glory sound revitalised and relevant." AbsolutePunk staff writer Thomas Nassiff described the album as containing "beautiful pop-punk jammers" while awarding a score of 8 out of 10. Though pointing out that the album offers nothing new to the bands catalog, he reflected "New Found Glory has too many good records to call this one their best, but that doesn’t really matter in the end. Comparing Radiosurgery to Sticks and Stones, New Found Glory or even Catalyst or Not Without a Fight is simply irrelevant. It’s better to concentrate on what’s in front of us: a hard-hitting, purely enjoyable album from South Florida’s proudest sons." David McLaughlin of Kerrang!
magazine expressed that "Radiosurgery is pretty much everything anyone could want from a New Found Glory record." Awarding an "excellent" four K! rating, he noted the albums "nostalgic 90s sound" by adding, "Age-old tales about lovestruck boys and girls told in three minutes via three chords, killer choruses and golden melodies. The Ramones knew a thing or two about that. So do New Found Glory. These tried and tested musical staples still make for some really special moments." Tom Williams of Big Cheese
magazine awarded the album five stars out of five in his review. He praised the bands "mashup of bleeding heart lyrics, catchy melodies and punk rock energy" before asserting, "Infectious as always, professionally delivered and with a sound purpose built for partying, the album is a hit plain and simple."
The Boston Globe
writer Scott McLennan called the band "relentless" in his favorable review. He went on to explain that, "New Found Glory flaunts the chemistry brewed over the 14 years that these five Floridians have been together. Guitarists Chad Gilbert and Steve Klein maneuver speedy melodies around singer Jordan Pundik’s tales of love and loss, while drummer Cyrus Bolooki and bassist Ian Grushka propel the band. New Found Glory is at its best when sounding highly caffeinated, even if breakneck tempos belie a song’s blue mood." Vanessa Spates of daily newspaper
The Lantern
awarded Radiosurgery an "A" grade in her review. She wrote that "Seven studio albums is an impressive feat for a punk rock band in a post-rock era. They keep a youthful quality in the manic guitars and the fury of drums. The entire album is infectious and invokes a lot of heartbreak anthems that everyone can relate to." Nicole Villeneuve of Candadian magazine Exclaim!
also offered a positive review and wrote how the album was full of "lively hooks and crisp songs in a taut pop-punk package." Chad Grischow of IGN
scored the album at 8.5 out of 10 and called it a "vibrant, infinitely listenable treat." He went on to explain that, "Channeling the brand of freewheeling, fun-loving pop-punk the quintet burst onto the scene playing years ago, the lean, in-your-face set of tracks examining a crumbled relationship hits hard." Rock Sound
journalist Terry Bezer explained how there "isn't a wasted minute on Radiosurgey", whilst awarding a near perfect 9 out of 10 score. He noted how the album "will delight pop-punk purists and NFG faithful alike", before praising the songwriting as some of the bands most infectious to-date. Steve M, staff writer for Sputnikmusic
awarded Radiosurgery a "great" 3.5 out of 5 score. He felt the album contained "all the little quirks of their earlier material," before adding, "it is difficult not to get caught up in Radiosurgery for what it is: a short and sweet pop-punk album designed to get you out of your chair and moving." Consequence of Sound
writer Kevin Barber awarded the album three stars out of five in his review. He wrote that, "On Radiosurgery, New Found Glory have found their older, faster, and stronger sound, dishing out anthemic choruses, while still holding on to their “new found” maturity." Jason Heller of The A.V. Club
was less receptive, awarding the album a "C" grade and bemoaning the bands, "same bouncy/bittersweet dynamic. It’s also stuck religiously to its chunky, melodic sound. But where 2009’s Not Without A Fight had a hint of a bite, Radiosurgery shows all the signs of tooth decay."
.
.
New Found Glory
Additional musicians
Production
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band New Found Glory
New Found Glory
New Found Glory is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida. Formed in the summer of 1997, founding members were lead vocalist Jordan Pundik, guitarists Chad Gilbert and Steve Klein, bassist Ian Grushka and drummer Joe Marino...
and was released on October 4, 2011 through independent label Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
. To follow up Not Without a Fight
Not Without a Fight
Not Without a Fight is the sixth studio album by American rock band New Found Glory. It was released on March 10, 2009 through independent label Epitaph Records. Produced by Blink-182 singer-bassist Mark Hoppus and recorded at his home based-OPRA Studios, the album was seen as a return to the bands...
(2009), the band began writing new material during their stint on the 2010 Honda Civic Tour. After self-producing a set of demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
and contacting long-term record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Neal Avron
Neal Avron
Neal Avron is an American musician, record producer, mixer, and audio engineer. Working predominately in rock music, Avron began working on records in 1993 and achieved his production breakthrough when he co-produced Everclear's 1997 album So Much For The Afterglow...
, the quintet went on to record the album in Avron's home recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
over a period of three months in 2011. The band set out to write an album that paid homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
to classic punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
records that first inspired them to form a band during the 1990s. Listening extensively to the likes of early Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, and Rancid
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
, New Found Glory strove to create a sound that could "bridge the gap" between old and new generations of the genre.
The album title is a metaphor
Metaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
, referencing the actual medical procedure radiosurgery
Radiosurgery
Radiosurgery is a medical procedure that allows non-invasive treatment of benign and malignant tumors. It is also known as stereotactic radiotherapy, when used to target lesions in the brain, and stereotactic body radiotherapy when used to target lesions in the body...
. The lyrics were directly inspired by events in the bands personal lives, after one member suffered a long-term relationship breakup
Relationship breakup
A relationship breakup, often referred to simply as a breakup, is the termination of a usually intimate relationship by any means other than death. The act is commonly termed "dumping [someone]" in slang when it is initiated by one partner...
. Radiosurgery was written as a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
about the different stages an individual goes through after a separation, including feelings of regret
Regret (emotion)
Regret is a negative conscious and emotional reaction to personal past acts and behaviors. Regret is often expressed by the term "sorry." Regret is often felt when someone feels sadness, shame, embarrassment, depression, annoyance or guilt after committing an action or actions that the person later...
, sadness
Sadness
Sadness is emotional pain associated with, or characterized by feelings of disadvantage, loss, despair, helplessness, sorrow, and rage. When sad, people often become outspoken, less energetic, and emotional...
, insanity
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
and events such as one night stand
One Night Stand
One Night Stand is an HBO stand-up series that first aired on February 15, 1989. The half-hour series aired weekly and featured stand-up comedy specials from some of the top performing comedians. The series originally comprised 55 specials over the course of its four years on HBO...
s. The band looked up several brain surgeries, later settling on Radiosurgery, using the idea that instead of using the procedure to remove a tumor
Tumor
A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...
from the brain, one could remove memories.
The first official single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from the album was title track "Radiosurgery
Radiosurgery (song)
"Radiosurgery" is a song written by American rock band New Found Glory, serving as the lead single and title track for their seventh studio album Radiosurgery . It's name is taken from the actual medical procedure radiosurgery, being used as a metaphor after one band member suffered a marriage...
", released on August 2. Upon its release, Radiosurgery was a moderate commercial success, debuting at number twenty six on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, number four on the Top Independent Albums chart, and number one on the Hard Rock Albums chart. The album was also generally well received by music critics, who noted its throwback sound and infectious songwriting.
Background
In March 2009, the band released their sixth studio album Not Without a FightNot Without a Fight
Not Without a Fight is the sixth studio album by American rock band New Found Glory. It was released on March 10, 2009 through independent label Epitaph Records. Produced by Blink-182 singer-bassist Mark Hoppus and recorded at his home based-OPRA Studios, the album was seen as a return to the bands...
after signing with Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
. The band then underwent extensive touring to promote the album, including a headlining slot at the 2010 Slam Dunk Festival alongside Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band that formed in McHenry, Illinois, in 1996. The band's line-up consists of Matt Skiba , Dan Andriano , and Derek Grant...
and Capdown
Capdown
Capdown are a band from Milton Keynes, England. Originally known as Soap, their songs have political themes as alluded to by their name, which is short for Capitalist Downfall...
. Later, following a bout of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
, Chad Gilbert underwent surgery to remove suspicious cells found in his thyroid
Thyroid
The thyroid gland or simply, the thyroid , in vertebrate anatomy, is one of the largest endocrine glands. The thyroid gland is found in the neck, below the thyroid cartilage...
before releasing some solo work on his website under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of What's Eating Gilbert?. Gilbert later posted on his Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account that the surgery had been a success, before the band started a new tour to promote the tenth anniversary re-release of their self-titled second album
New Found Glory (album)
New Found Glory is the eponymously-titled second studio album by the American rock band of the same name. It was produced and mixed by Neal Avron and released on September 26, 2000 through Drive-Thru Records...
. The anniversary tour saw the band play the album in its entirety, although despite Gilbert's recovery, Anthony Raneri of Bayside
Bayside (band)
Bayside is an American punk rock band from Queens which formed in the winter of 2000. The band has released five full length albums since signing to Victory Records...
replaced him for the first three legs of the tour as a precautionary measure. It was during the band's stretch on the 2010 Honda Civic Tour that they began writing new material. Jordan Pundik
Jordan Pundik
Jordan Izaak Pundik is an American musician and songwriter.Pundik is a founding member and the frontman of rock band New Found Glory, for whom he sings lead vocals and contributes lyrics...
told Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
-based publication MagX in September that a new album would "probably be recorded in January", and upon being asked what the new material would sound like, he added "We always let it happen. We're a real band. We obviously have a vision of how we want it to "sound" but the songs are always what feels right and true to who we are."
Shortly afterward in a November interview with Reverb music magazine
Music magazine
A music magazine is a magazine dedicated to music and music culture. Such magazines typically include music news, interviews, photo shoots, essays, record reviews, concert reviews and occasionally have a covermount with recorded music.-Notable music magazines:...
, the band's chief lyricist Steve Klein
Steve Klein (musician)
Stephen Lee "Steve" Klein is an American musician. Klein is a founding member of rock band New Found Glory, for whom he is the primary lyricist and plays rhythm guitar....
reported that new demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
were in the works and that his early indications were that the songs would make for a "really catchy summer record." Klein went on to explain the bands procedure when writing new songs, noting that in the early stages Chad Gilbert will write new guitar riffs, before sending them to Klein, who in turn begins work on lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
and harmonies alongside frontman Jordan Pundik. The band will then collectively begin writing their own instrumental parts, with Klein summarizing, "Ever since we started the band we’ve always had the same kind of writing routine where we write the music first, do some lyrics and then begin to record demos." Pundik added that unlike earlier in their career, the band can now simultaneously work on new material together over the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. "The overall process hasn’t really changed, but now it’s kind of like we can do it through Skype
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
, or iChat
IChat
iChat is an instant messaging software application developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its Mac OS X operating system. It has audio, video and screen-sharing capabilities as well as text messaging...
or something. It’s kind of cool because we can be at home and work on songs. Before, when we would write songs we would write on the road touring in the van; I remember Cyrus playing drums on the steering wheel and Chad with an acoustic guitar in the passenger seat, you know? So it’s definitely a lot easier." In the new year, the band released a teaser trailer
Teaser trailer
A teaser campaign is an advertising campaign which typically consists of a series of small, cryptic, challenging advertisements that anticipate a larger, full-blown campaign for a product launch or otherwise important event. These advertisements are called "teasers" or "teaser ads"...
, containing footage of them in the studio recording demos.
Recording and production
Having not worked directly with Neal AvronNeal Avron
Neal Avron is an American musician, record producer, mixer, and audio engineer. Working predominately in rock music, Avron began working on records in 1993 and achieved his production breakthrough when he co-produced Everclear's 1997 album So Much For The Afterglow...
for six years, the band had wanted to recruit him once again to produce a new album. Avron was responsible for producing the bands three most commercially successful records; New Found Glory
New Found Glory (album)
New Found Glory is the eponymously-titled second studio album by the American rock band of the same name. It was produced and mixed by Neal Avron and released on September 26, 2000 through Drive-Thru Records...
(2000), Sticks and Stones
Sticks and Stones (New Found Glory album)
Sticks and Stones is the third studio album and major label debut by American rock band New Found Glory. As with its predesossor, their eponymously-titled second album, it was again produced by Neal Avron and was released on June 11, 2002 through MCA Records...
(2002), and Catalyst
Catalyst (album)
Catalyst is the fourth studio album by American rock band New Found Glory. It was produced by Neal Avron and released on May 18, 2004 through Geffen Records. The album includes an enhanced CD portion with a making of the music video for the inaugural single "All Downhill from Here"...
(2004). The band wrote and self-produced three demos, before sending them to Avron by email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
for his evaluation. However, Avron was not overly impressed, stating the songs were "okay, but I don’t really think they’re that great.” The band responded by completing a new set of six tracks, but no avail, as the producer was still not convinced. This left the band frustrated, as they believed the new material to among the best songs they had written. Gilbert was persistent though, and after recording another eight demos that went back-and-forth with the producer, the band announced in November that Avron had agreed to produce the album and recording would commence in the new year. Gilbert has said that this process with Avron helped push the band to compose better songs; "There’s only one song that we’re recording for the album from the original demos we sent him. It was cool having him push us, because we sort of had a vision on this record, and he really wanted to get that out of us. It’s a step forward for our band, definitely [in terms of] songwriting." Gilbert has called Avron the "unofficial sixth member" of the band, because of his open honesty and willingness to push the band. The band entered Avron's home studio, named The Casita, in April to begin tracking. Aside from writing and recording two new songs in May, the remaining batch of songs had been with the band a long time, making recording "rather easy".
The producer is known for his particular recording techniques and prefers laying down the rhythm section
Rhythm section
A rhythm section is a collection of musicians who make up a section of instruments which provides the accompaniment section of the music, giving the music its rhythmic texture and pulse, also serving as a rhythmic reference for the rest of the band...
of guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
first, as opposed to the usual method of drums and bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. Avron has noted, "Over the years I've had issues with recording bass first, especially when someone is hitting the strings really hard. For me it's difficult to tell whether the bass is in tune, because the fundamental is so low. When laying the rhythm guitars down first, it's much easier to tell whether the bass is out of tune or not. It also means that the bass has a place to fit." Indeed, Jordan Pundik reflected on the recording process by stating, "It was pretty smooth, we kind of go in there and do the drums first, which takes a couple of days. Then you do the guitars before I lay down vocals. It's kind of like this factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
. It's not like before when we were trying to figure out what guitar sound we wanted, now we've established how we want to sound and what we want to do." The band revealed that Avron suggested "simplifying" some of the songs whilst recording. According to guitarist Steve Klein, certain songs had "crazy guitars", but Avron pushed the band to "make the melodies and vocals stand out, to enforce the lyrical themes." Gilbert had the idea to use his backing vocals more prominently on the record, hoping to add some extra dynamics to a songs chorus. He noted that Rancid
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
's Tim Armstrong
Tim Armstrong
Timothy Lockwood Armstrong is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work with punk rock bands Rancid, Operation Ivy, Downfall, and the Transplants. He is also the owner and operator of Hellcat Records.-Personal life:Armstrong was born November 25, 1965 and was...
and Lars Frederiksen
Lars Frederiksen
Lars Erik Frederiksen is an American guitarist and vocalist, most notably for the punk rock band Rancid, and as the frontman of Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and The Old Firm Casuals. He was also briefly a member of the UK Subs in 1991...
were an influence on this decision. Towards the end of recording, the band invited Bethany Cosentino of indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Best Coast
Best Coast
Best Coast is an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles, California, and is often categorized under the subgenres of garage rock, surf pop, and lo-fi. The band currently consists of Bethany Cosentino, who writes all of the band's songs and fronts the group, multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno, ...
to provide backing vocals on a track later confirmed to be titled "Caught in the Act". Cosentino is a fan of the band, and became friends through Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. Gilbert explained that the song is the "slowest" on the record, despite each being "upbeat", and somehow "called for a female backing vocal". Cosentino later commented after hearing the final version of the track that she was "stoked" for people to hear it and called it a "classic pop punk gem". Recording was completed at the beginning of June, with the band later confirming on 18 June that mixing
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
and mastering
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
had also been finalized.
Composition
Prior to writing the album, the band spent time revisiting music from their youth that first inspired them to be in a band. Chad Gilbert described how he spent six months "only listening to the RamonesRamones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, old Lookout! Records
Lookout! Records
-History:Larry Livermore and David Hayes formed the label in 1987. From the start, Lookout released punk rock records, but over time expanded its scope to include various types of pop rock, reggae fusion, acoustic rock, pop punk, and indie rock...
stuff, Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
's Dookie
Dookie
Dookie is the third studio album by the American punk rock band Green Day. It was released on February 1, 1994 through Reprise Records. It was the band's first collaboration with producer Rob Cavallo and its major record label debut. Dookie became a worldwide commercial success, peaking at number...
, Descendents
Descendents
The Descendents are an American punk rock band from Hermosa Beach, California. As of 2011, they have released six studio albums, three live albums, three compilation albums and three EPs. The Descendents broke up and reformed several times over the years, sometimes with different musicians...
, Rancid
Rancid (band)
Rancid is an American punk rock band formed in Berkeley, California in 1991. Founded by Tim Armstrong and Matt Freeman, both of whom previously played in the ska punk band Operation Ivy, Rancid is credited—along with Green Day and The Offspring—for reviving mainstream interest in punk rock in the...
's Let's Go and that's pretty much it." Gilbert had a direct musical vision for the album, similar to how he describes that Coming Home
Coming Home (New Found Glory album)
Coming Home is the fifth studio album by American rock band New Found Glory. It was produced by Thom Panunzio and released on September 19, 2006 through Geffen Records. Written and demoed at the Morning View Mansion in Malibu during 2005, Coming Home is a concept album unified by a lyrical theme of...
(2006) had, as opposed to Not Without a Fight
Not Without a Fight
Not Without a Fight is the sixth studio album by American rock band New Found Glory. It was released on March 10, 2009 through independent label Epitaph Records. Produced by Blink-182 singer-bassist Mark Hoppus and recorded at his home based-OPRA Studios, the album was seen as a return to the bands...
(2009) where the attitude was simply "let's record a New Found Glory album." The band strove to "apply the throwback vibe to their always-evolving style," by incorporating the elements from those classic albums; "it was simple, it was fun, it was heartfelt, but it also kind of had an attitude," with the hallmarks of their own career. Gilbert described how he wanted to "bridge the gap between generations", hoping for reactions such as "Dude that’s totally Ramones, but it’s not the Ramones, it’s New Found Glory. Or like, Dude, that totally reminds me of when I heard Dookie for the first time, but it’s totally not, it’s New Found Glory." As such, the band were meticulous in the writing process, discarding anything that was not in line with the albums vision or songs that felt "safe". Gilbert described that because they wanted a "fun, punk, upbeat record," any songs he would write that appeared "a slower, mellower, mid-pace thing," would be scrapped. Jordan Pundik told Rock Sound
Rock Sound
Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:...
magazine that, "[With Radiosurgery] we simplified the songs. There's no riffing or jamming going on. It's just straight up and in-your-face."
Lyrically, the album is themed around the mental state of dealing with a relationship ending. Similarly to Not Without a Fight, which dealt with the divorces suffered by Gilbert and Pundik, Radiosurgery was inspired by one band member almost "losing their mind." due to a "severe" separation. It was later revealed that it was in fact bassist Ian Grushka's divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
in October 2010 that inspired the record. Grushka's nine year marriage, including two children, reached a bitter conclusion with the bassist noting, "It's crazy how quickly love can turn to hate. Basically, this last year, I've lost my mind completely. It takes time, it's been hard." Grushka turned to Klein for support, often writing notes and calling his band mate over the phone to discuss his feelings. The albums lyrics are directly about the different emotions Grushka went through after the divorce, including sadness
Sadness
Sadness is emotional pain associated with, or characterized by feelings of disadvantage, loss, despair, helplessness, sorrow, and rage. When sad, people often become outspoken, less energetic, and emotional...
, regret
Regret (emotion)
Regret is a negative conscious and emotional reaction to personal past acts and behaviors. Regret is often expressed by the term "sorry." Regret is often felt when someone feels sadness, shame, embarrassment, depression, annoyance or guilt after committing an action or actions that the person later...
, and feeling on the verge of insanity
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
. In an interview with NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine, the guitarist pointed out, "If you're in a long-term relationship and it came to an end, you go through stages of regret, then you're sad, angry. Then you kind of lose your mind and want to go out with your friends, have a good time [and] get into trouble. Then you just want to forget this person. Our idea is that after going through all these stages, you can't get the past out of your head, so you could surgically remove it from your mind." The single "Radiosurgery" was one of the final songs written for the album and was chosen as the title track in order "to encompass the whole record, like the complete thought. It's concept is much like the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a 2004 American romantic science fiction film about an estranged couple who have each other erased from their memories, scripted by Charlie Kaufman and directed by the French director, Michel Gondry. The film uses elements of science fiction, psychological...
, according to guitarist Steve Klein. The song also contains the lyric "it makes my brain hurt", a direct homage to the Screeching Weasel
Screeching Weasel
Screeching Weasel is an American punk rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1986 by Ben Weasel and John Jughead.Since their formation, Screeching Weasel have broken up and reformed numerous times with numerous line-up changes. Ben Weasel has been the only constant...
song "My Brain Hurts
My Brain Hurts
My Brain Hurts is the third studio album by the American punk rock band Screeching Weasel. It was released in 1991 through Lookout! Records. It was the band's first album released through Lookout! Records. The album marked a very distinct stylistic shift...
", while portraying a person suffering from auditory hallucination
Auditory hallucination
An auditory hallucination, or paracusia, is a form of hallucination that involves perceiving sounds without auditory stimulus. A common form involves hearing one or more talking voices...
. Meanwhile, "Anthem for the Unwanted" is a song about "the point in a relationship where you pretty much are getting kicked out. It’s pretty much the beginning of the end." While "I'm Not the One" is specifically themed around a one night stand
One Night Stand
One Night Stand is an HBO stand-up series that first aired on February 15, 1989. The half-hour series aired weekly and featured stand-up comedy specials from some of the top performing comedians. The series originally comprised 55 specials over the course of its four years on HBO...
, which Gilbert describes as "going out and doing something that you know you shouldn’t be doing – and still going through with it. Because, that’s life. People make mistakes."
Early reactions to the single noted similarities to the earlier work of Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
. In a track-by-track guide of the album, the bands drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Cyrus Bolooki explained that "Drill it in My Brain" is a "pretty rhythmic song with a nice steady beat
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
," while "Summer Thing, Don't Mean a Thing" contains "absurd amounts of percussion going on in the background of the verses", and "Map of Your Body" features a bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
that has almost a "punk rock prom
Prom
In the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year. It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students...
vibe." Upon hearing an advance copy
Advance copy
As a marketing tool, publishers provide free copies of new titles to booksellers, journalists and even celebrities.Such books are variously referred to as readers editions, an advance copy, an advance reading copy, ARC or ARE...
of the full album, AbsolutePunk CEO Jason Tate was of the opinion that the album was similar in style to the bands self-titled second album
New Found Glory (album)
New Found Glory is the eponymously-titled second studio album by the American rock band of the same name. It was produced and mixed by Neal Avron and released on September 26, 2000 through Drive-Thru Records...
, while Thomas Nassiff expressed that "throughout the album, Gilbert and Klein combine for even more crunching, downward-aiming, dominating guitar riffs than ever." Annie Zaleski of Alternative Press suggested that musically, the album often recalls classic punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
. "The jagged riffs of "Summer Fling, Don't Mean a Thing" echoes Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
's late 70s golden years. "Ready, Aim, Fire!" wouldn't be out of place on a Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys are an Irish-American punk rock band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. The band was initially signed to independent punk record label Hellcat Records, releasing five albums for the label, and making a name for themselves locally through constant playing and yearly St....
disc, while the speedy "Memories and Battle Scars" conjures the aggression of the Descendents
Descendents
The Descendents are an American punk rock band from Hermosa Beach, California. As of 2011, they have released six studio albums, three live albums, three compilation albums and three EPs. The Descendents broke up and reformed several times over the years, sometimes with different musicians...
." Tom Williams, writer for UK magazine Big Cheese
Big Cheese (magazine)
Big Cheese is an independent British magazine which covers alternative music including rock, punk, and metal amongst others. It is circulated monthly.-Features:...
, stated how he felt the album sounded like "millennium era NFG with nods to ulterior influences." Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
journalist David McLaughlin thought the album contained a "familiar but mint-fresh sound." He explained how "eighth track "Caught in the Act" sways and grooves like a long-lost Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
gem. Elsewhere, having gone back to their musical roots and digging out their favorite Green Day, Ramones, and Descendents records - a clear spirit of nostalgia has reignited their spark." The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
correspondent Scott McLennan described "Drill it in My Brain" as "a tangled mess of relationship rights and wrongs, all made palatable with a cool pop swagger and murky keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
riff." While album closer "Map of Your Body" draws "a nice punk-rock-to-doo-wop connection." Andy Ritchie of Rock Sound
Rock Sound
Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:...
noted that "the albums focus is "very much on back-to-basics pop punk. This is how the Ramones pioneered it, and how Green Day perfected it during their early days."
Title and packaging
On 12 May 2011, the band announced to fans via a live video chat that their new album would be titled Radiosurgery and they hoped to release it sometime in September. The bands primary composer Chad Gilbert has explained that the album title is a direct reference to the medical procedure radiosurgeryRadiosurgery
Radiosurgery is a medical procedure that allows non-invasive treatment of benign and malignant tumors. It is also known as stereotactic radiotherapy, when used to target lesions in the brain, and stereotactic body radiotherapy when used to target lesions in the body...
, where a patient is treated by x rays or gamma rays to remove a tumor
Tumor
A tumor or tumour is commonly used as a synonym for a neoplasm that appears enlarged in size. Tumor is not synonymous with cancer...
or growth from the brain. The band feel that the concept is very similar to the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is a 2004 American romantic science fiction film about an estranged couple who have each other erased from their memories, scripted by Charlie Kaufman and directed by the French director, Michel Gondry. The film uses elements of science fiction, psychological...
, where a couple erase
Erase
Erase may refer to:*Data erasure, a method of software-based overwriting that completely destroys all electronic data*Data remanence, the residual representation of data that has been in some way nominally erased or removed...
one another from their memories. Chad Gilbert revealed that since the band last wrote new material in 2008, one member suffered a "severe" divorce. "It’s for them to talk about, not me. Someone pretty much lost their mind [and] did a lot of things that were pretty scary for all of us. We’ve all been through that. I wrote about it on our website, certain things sort of haunt you in your life. That’s where the title [Radiosurgery] comes from, it’s like a brain surgery."
In the album's liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
, a mock dictionary
Dictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
-like definition
Definition
A definition is a passage that explains the meaning of a term , or a type of thing. The term to be defined is the definiendum. A term may have many different senses or meanings...
is printed. It explains that "Radiosurgery is a medical procedure that allows non-invasive treatment used to target unwanted memories in the brain. Radiosurgery operates by directing highly focused waves of ionizing sound with high precision. It is a relatively recent technique (1997), which has been shown to be beneficial for the treatment of past regrets and lost love." On 2 August, the albums artwork and packaging details were released. It was confirmed that the album would be available in a number of formats, including a standard CD, a deluxe edition double CD featuring four exclusive b-sides, including a cover of the Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
hit "Blitzkrieg Bop
Blitzkrieg Bop
"Blitzkrieg Bop" is a song by the American punk rock band Ramones. It was released as the band's debut single in April of 1976 in the United States...
", a limited 12" pink vinyl LP, a special slipmat
Slipmat
A slipmat is a circular piece of slippery cloth or synthetic materials disk jockeys place on the turntable platter instead of the traditional rubber mat....
, as well as various other merchandise packages. The album booklet and cover art was designed by artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
and clothes designer Kyle Crawford. The brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
logo was designed to symbolise the theme of the album, with Chad Gilbert explaining "We talked about the brain and Radiosurgery. We talked about wanting an image we could put on a lot of things. We wanted to have that feeling, that look."
Release and promotion
Following the completion of recording in mid-June, the band announced soon after that the lead singleLead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
would be title track "Radiosurgery
Radiosurgery (song)
"Radiosurgery" is a song written by American rock band New Found Glory, serving as the lead single and title track for their seventh studio album Radiosurgery . It's name is taken from the actual medical procedure radiosurgery, being used as a metaphor after one band member suffered a marriage...
", later released as a digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on 2 August. That same day, the albums track listing, cover art
Cover art
Cover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book , magazine, comic book, video game , DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, i.e...
and release details were also issued. It was confirmed that Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records
Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record...
would release the album on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, vinyl LP, and digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
formats on 30 September in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, 3 October in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and 4 October in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. American retailer Interpunk.com held a limited supply of albums available with the CD booklet exclusively signed
Autograph
An autograph is a document transcribed entirely in the handwriting of its author, as opposed to a typeset document or one written by an amanuensis or a copyist; the meaning overlaps with that of the word holograph.Autograph also refers to a person's artistic signature...
by the band. Earlier, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine reported that the band had confirmed a small run of club shows in the UK leading up to their main stage performances at the Reading and Leeds festivals
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
in August. In direct promotion of the album release in October, it was announced on 1 August that the band would be headlining a 37-date Rockstar
Rockstar (drink)
Rockstar is an energy drink created in 2001. With 14% of the US market in 2008, Rockstar is a leading energy drink brand. Rockstar is based in Las Vegas...
-sponsored "Pop Punk's Not Dead Tour" in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
ahead of Set Your Goals
Set Your Goals (band)
Set Your Goals is an American Pop-Punk band from Walnut Creek, CA , formed in 2004. Their musical style typically employs a combination of pop punk and melodic hardcore...
, The Wonder Years
The Wonder Years (band)
The Wonder Years is an American pop punk band from Lansdale, Pennsylvania that began in June 2005. Since then, they have released three full length albums, two EPs, and several splits/compilation contributions...
, Man Overboard
Man Overboard (band)
Man Overboard is an American pop punk band from Mt. Laurel and Williamstown, New Jersey that began in 2008. Since then, they have released two EP's, an acoustic EP, a split with Boston pop punk band Transit, a compilation of old songs and a full length album...
, and This Time Next Year
This Time Next Year (band)
This Time Next Year is a 5-piece American Pop Punk band formed in Walnut Creek, California They have released two EPs and two full-length albums.-History:...
. The tour commenced on 6 October in Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...
and ran through to 20 November in San Diego. AbsolutePunk ran an exclusive competition on their website, with five pairs of free tickets available for the tour including a meet-and-greet with the band back stage.
Anticipation for the album was increased when Alternative Press magazine issued their annual "20 Must-Hear Fall Releases" list, which included New Found Glory's Radiosurgery, while Rock Sound
Rock Sound
Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:...
magazine called Radiosurgery, "the most eagerly anticipated pop-punk album of the summer." The Buffalo News
The Buffalo News
The Buffalo News is the primary newspaper of the Buffalo – Niagara Falls metropolitan area, and the area's only daily newspaper. It is the only newspaper owned by Berkshire Hathaway.-History:...
noted that alongside another batch of strong releases within the genre, Radiosurgery is helping pop punk
Pop punk
Pop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
regain its relevance and popularity. The following week, the band announced via Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
that they would be shooting a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the title track. The video was shot at the Linda Vista Hospital
Linda Vista Hospital
Linda Vista Community Hospital, originally called the Santa Fe Railroad Hospital and Santa Fe Coast Lines Hospital, is a former hospital that is located at 610-30 St. Louis Street in Los Angeles, California, United States, in the Boyle Heights neighborhood. The hospital was constructed for railroad...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with Meiert Avis
Meiert Avis
Meiert Avis is an Irish music video and commercial director. Avis has directed videos for artists such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Avril Lavigne, Jennifer Lopez, New Found Glory and Josh Groban amongst many others....
and premiered on 14 September. Aside from other promotional work in the UK leading up to their appearances at Reading and Leeds, Chad Gilbert and Jordan Pundik performed an exclusive acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
version of "Radiosurgery" for music webzine Alter The Press. Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
magazine announced on 31 August that the band had released a short making-of
Making-of
In cinema, a making-of, also known as behind-the-scenes, is a documentary film that features the production of a film or television program...
video with footage of them in the studio recording the album. It was reported on 9 September that the band would be completing a short tour in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
with support from Four Year Strong
Four Year Strong
Four Year Strong is an American pop punk band from Worcester, Massachusetts, formed in 2001. The group consists of vocalists and guitarists Dan O'Connor and Alan Day, bassist Joe Weiss, and drummer Jackson Massucco...
during January 2012. The band will play in Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
on 10 January, later playing Curitiba
Curitiba
Curitiba is the capital of the Brazilian state of Paraná. It is the largest city with the biggest economy of both Paraná and southern Brazil. The population of Curitiba numbers approximately 1.75 million people and the latest GDP figures for the city surpass US$61 billion according to...
and São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, before closing in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
on 15 January. In the fortnight prior to the albums release, the band ran three exclusive "World Premieres
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
" with the LA based KROQ Radio
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...
. Album tracks "Anthem for the Unwanted", "I'm Not the One", and "Dumped" were streamed daily on 20, 21, and 22 September respectively. On 27 September it was announced that another album track, "Summer Fling, Don't Mean a Thing" would be available for free download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
. That same day, it was revealed that Radiosurgery was being streamed online in its entirety via Alternative Press. Fans had to complete a game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
similar to Operation
Operation (game)
Operation is a battery-operated game of physical skill that tests players' hand-eye co-ordination and fine motor skills. Originally made by Milton Bradley, and currently made by Hasbro it has been in production since 1965, the year in which the game was invented by John Spinello.The game is a...
in order to unlock each track. Shortly afterward, it was announced the band would be returning to the UK to co-headline the 2012 Kerrang! Tour
Kerrang! Tour
Evolving from Kerrang! magazine, Kerrang! Tour is a tour of rock music concerts around the UK during and has featured bands such as Bullet for my Valentine, Mindless Self Indulgence and All Time Low...
during February alongside Sum 41
Sum 41
Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. The band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of members Deryck Whibley , Tom Thacker , Jason McCaslin and Steve Jocz .In 1999, the band signed an international record deal with Island Records...
.
Commercial performance
Upon its earlier release date of 30 September in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Radiosurgery debuted on the ARIA Charts
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
at number 50, and at number 44 on the Digital Albums Chart. According to building album sales data compiled by Hits Daily Double, the album was projected to have sold some 10,555 copies during its opening week sales in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, allowing it to enter the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
at number thirty five. The album eventually charted at a higher position of twenty six, whilst also topping the Hard Rock Albums chart. Radiosurgery also reached number four on the Top Independent Albums chart, as well as entering the Alternative Albums and the Tastemaker Albums charts at number nine and seven respectively. The Tastemaker chart is not decided by record sales, but compiled by ranking new albums based on "an influential panel of indie stores and small regional chains." Overall, this marked a drop in performance compared to its predecessor Not Without a Fight
Not Without a Fight
Not Without a Fight is the sixth studio album by American rock band New Found Glory. It was released on March 10, 2009 through independent label Epitaph Records. Produced by Blink-182 singer-bassist Mark Hoppus and recorded at his home based-OPRA Studios, the album was seen as a return to the bands...
(2009), which debuted at number twelve on the Billboard 200. It was also the bands first album since their self-titled second album
New Found Glory (album)
New Found Glory is the eponymously-titled second studio album by the American rock band of the same name. It was produced and mixed by Neal Avron and released on September 26, 2000 through Drive-Thru Records...
(2000), that failed to enter to top twenty of the Billboard chart. The album was released in a competitive week, with albums by Feist, Rodney Atkins
Rodney Atkins
Rodney Allan Atkins is an American country music artist. Signed to Curb Records in 1996, he charted his first single on the Billboard country chart that year, but did not release an album until 2003's Honesty, which included the number 4 hit "Honesty ".If You're Going Through Hell, his second...
, and Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin
Jack's Mannequin is an American rock band formed in 2004, originally hailing from Orange County, California. The band began as a side project of Andrew McMahon, the frontman for Something Corporate, and is composed of guitarist Bobby Anderson, bassist Mikey "The Kid" Wagner, and drummer Jay...
also debuting. It was also revealed that the weekly sales figures of 5.13 million units, was down 8% compared to the sum of the previous week.
Critical response
Critical reaction to the album has been generally positive. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream music critics, the album received an average score of 68, based on 8 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews." Annie Zaleski of Alternative Press called Radiosurgery "focused and precise" while awarding four stars out of five in her review. She noted that the album is rich on "summary riffs and brisk tempos", before summarising, "by refusing to settle for "good enough" - and by creating a homage to youthful, timeless pop punk - New Found Glory sound revitalised and relevant." AbsolutePunk staff writer Thomas Nassiff described the album as containing "beautiful pop-punk jammers" while awarding a score of 8 out of 10. Though pointing out that the album offers nothing new to the bands catalog, he reflected "New Found Glory has too many good records to call this one their best, but that doesn’t really matter in the end. Comparing Radiosurgery to Sticks and Stones, New Found Glory or even Catalyst or Not Without a Fight is simply irrelevant. It’s better to concentrate on what’s in front of us: a hard-hitting, purely enjoyable album from South Florida’s proudest sons." David McLaughlin of Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
magazine expressed that "Radiosurgery is pretty much everything anyone could want from a New Found Glory record." Awarding an "excellent" four K! rating, he noted the albums "nostalgic 90s sound" by adding, "Age-old tales about lovestruck boys and girls told in three minutes via three chords, killer choruses and golden melodies. The Ramones knew a thing or two about that. So do New Found Glory. These tried and tested musical staples still make for some really special moments." Tom Williams of Big Cheese
Big Cheese (magazine)
Big Cheese is an independent British magazine which covers alternative music including rock, punk, and metal amongst others. It is circulated monthly.-Features:...
magazine awarded the album five stars out of five in his review. He praised the bands "mashup of bleeding heart lyrics, catchy melodies and punk rock energy" before asserting, "Infectious as always, professionally delivered and with a sound purpose built for partying, the album is a hit plain and simple."
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
writer Scott McLennan called the band "relentless" in his favorable review. He went on to explain that, "New Found Glory flaunts the chemistry brewed over the 14 years that these five Floridians have been together. Guitarists Chad Gilbert and Steve Klein maneuver speedy melodies around singer Jordan Pundik’s tales of love and loss, while drummer Cyrus Bolooki and bassist Ian Grushka propel the band. New Found Glory is at its best when sounding highly caffeinated, even if breakneck tempos belie a song’s blue mood." Vanessa Spates of daily newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
The Lantern
The Lantern
The Lantern is the name of the official, daily student-published university newspaper at The Ohio State University. It is one of the largest campus newspapers in the United States, reaching a circulation of 15,000....
awarded Radiosurgery an "A" grade in her review. She wrote that "Seven studio albums is an impressive feat for a punk rock band in a post-rock era. They keep a youthful quality in the manic guitars and the fury of drums. The entire album is infectious and invokes a lot of heartbreak anthems that everyone can relate to." Nicole Villeneuve of Candadian magazine Exclaim!
Exclaim!
Exclaim! is a monthly Canadian music magazine that features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with special focus on Canadian and cutting-edge artists...
also offered a positive review and wrote how the album was full of "lively hooks and crisp songs in a taut pop-punk package." Chad Grischow of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
scored the album at 8.5 out of 10 and called it a "vibrant, infinitely listenable treat." He went on to explain that, "Channeling the brand of freewheeling, fun-loving pop-punk the quintet burst onto the scene playing years ago, the lean, in-your-face set of tracks examining a crumbled relationship hits hard." Rock Sound
Rock Sound
Rock Sound is a British magazine which champions rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, whilst also giving coverage to more well known acts.-History:...
journalist Terry Bezer explained how there "isn't a wasted minute on Radiosurgey", whilst awarding a near perfect 9 out of 10 score. He noted how the album "will delight pop-punk purists and NFG faithful alike", before praising the songwriting as some of the bands most infectious to-date. Steve M, staff writer for Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic
Sputnikmusic, or simply Sputnik, is a music website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites...
awarded Radiosurgery a "great" 3.5 out of 5 score. He felt the album contained "all the little quirks of their earlier material," before adding, "it is difficult not to get caught up in Radiosurgery for what it is: a short and sweet pop-punk album designed to get you out of your chair and moving." Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound, also known often as CoS, is a Chicago-based music website featuring news, album and concert reviews, and editorials. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook micro-site, which serves as an on-line database for music festival news and rumors...
writer Kevin Barber awarded the album three stars out of five in his review. He wrote that, "On Radiosurgery, New Found Glory have found their older, faster, and stronger sound, dishing out anthemic choruses, while still holding on to their “new found” maturity." Jason Heller of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
was less receptive, awarding the album a "C" grade and bemoaning the bands, "same bouncy/bittersweet dynamic. It’s also stuck religiously to its chunky, melodic sound. But where 2009’s Not Without A Fight had a hint of a bite, Radiosurgery shows all the signs of tooth decay."
Track listing
All songs written and composed by New Found GloryNew Found Glory
New Found Glory is an American rock band from Coral Springs, Florida. Formed in the summer of 1997, founding members were lead vocalist Jordan Pundik, guitarists Chad Gilbert and Steve Klein, bassist Ian Grushka and drummer Joe Marino...
.
Personnel
The following personnel contributed to Radiosurgery, as adapted from the album liner notesLiner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
.
New Found Glory
- Jordan PundikJordan PundikJordan Izaak Pundik is an American musician and songwriter.Pundik is a founding member and the frontman of rock band New Found Glory, for whom he sings lead vocals and contributes lyrics...
— lead vocals, lyricsLyricsLyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of... - Chad GilbertChad GilbertChad Everett Gilbert is an American musician and record producer. He is a founding member of the rock band New Found Glory, for whom he plays lead guitar, composes music and provides backing vocals...
— lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocals, composer - Steve KleinSteve Klein (musician)Stephen Lee "Steve" Klein is an American musician. Klein is a founding member of rock band New Found Glory, for whom he is the primary lyricist and plays rhythm guitar....
— rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, lyrics - Ian Grushka — bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Cyrus Bolooki — drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Additional musicians
- Bethany Cosentino — vocals on "Caught in the Act"
Production
- Neal AvronNeal AvronNeal Avron is an American musician, record producer, mixer, and audio engineer. Working predominately in rock music, Avron began working on records in 1993 and achieved his production breakthrough when he co-produced Everclear's 1997 album So Much For The Afterglow...
— producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, recordingRecordingRecording is the process of capturing data or translating information to a recording format stored on some storage medium, which is often referred to as a record or, if an auditory medium, a recording....
, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - Erich Talaba — engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Ted JensenTed JensenTed Jensen is an American recording engineer. Jensen is the chief mastering engineer at Sterling Sound. He started his career as a mastering engineer in 1976 and is currently the most active Mastering Engineer in the industry...
— masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced... - Myriam Santos — photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
- Kyle Crawford — art direction, layoutPage layoutPage layout is the part of graphic design that deals in the arrangement and style treatment of elements on a page.- History and development :...
Chart history
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart (ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... ) |
50 |
| Australian Digital Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... (ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... ) |
44 |
| U.S Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
26 |
| U.S Alternative Albums (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
8 |
| U.S Hard Rock Albums (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
1 |
| U.S Independent Albums (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
4 |
| U.S Tastemaker Albums (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
7 |
Chart procession and succession
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
September 30, 2011 | Epitaph Records Epitaph Records Epitaph Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. The label was originally "just a logo and a P.O. box" created in the 1980s for the purpose of selling Bad Religion records, but has evolved into a large independent record... |
Double CD | E871782 |
| Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... |
October 3, 2011 | Compact disc Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , double CD, vinyl LP, digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
87145 | |
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
271451 271452 |
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| North America North America North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas... |
October 4, 2011 | 87145 87178 |
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| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
October 5, 2011 | Compact disc Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , double CD |
NEOIMP-3531 NEOIMP-3532 |
External links
- Radiosurgery at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Radiosurgery at Allmusic
- Radiosurgery at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...