Samiam

Samiam made its name in the early ’90s as one of the Bay Area’s most incredible melodic-punk outfits, establishing a sonic template many others repeated throughout the decade. After an aborted major-label stint and other label trouble, the group came back strong with 2000’s Astray, then mostly disappeared. A resurgence in interest from Europe resuscitated Samiam, but 2006's Whatever's Got You Down was an undercooked letdown. The new Trips finds the group returning to form, with tracks like "80 West" and "September Holiday" nailing the vintage Samiam sound like it's 1994 all over again.

Updated 09/12/2011