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January 2004 Reviews Artist of the Month: Challenger As the opening salvo from Challenger, Give People What They Want in Lethal Doses rocks the bow from word go and knocks a little punk into the serious indie rock tradition. It is not as though you don't have the essence of Challenger in your record collection right now and it is not as if the members of Challenger are rookies to this game. Read on to learn about your new favorite band. The core of Challenger is the backbone of Milemarker - everyone's favorite Chapel Hill to angry Chicago band - in Dave Laney on vocals and guitar and Al Burian on vocals, guitar and bass. Filling out the band is drummer Timothy Remis. As much as Challenger may down play it, the influence of Milemarker is significant, though it is partially a function of the unique vocal stylings of both Laney and Burian. Though the influence of Milemarker is there in the sheer song construction and, at times, complexity, Challenger posture more towards the post-punk stylings of Husker Du and a harmonious Sonic Youth. And that's their goal: to offer more headstrong, aggressive punk but not in a boring three-chord manner. Hence, there is no reliance on electronics of any sort with Challenger - though you still would have trouble distinguishing Challenger songs from the first half of songs like "Frigid Forms Sell You Warmth." Virtually every song contains at minimum one section that sticks to your memory like some virus, forcing you to instantly recognize it if you heard it randomly at some other point in time. This is even more impressive given that the songs vary little in length and average about four minutes - there have been tons of records where this fact can create marginal differentiation between tracks. The ten track record kicks off in thrashing fashion on "Input the Output" with the line "that seven year itch, became a life long twitch" yelled off over winding guitars and continues on for the next three minutes. The guitars march between muting matching the verse and then opening up for the yelled choruses and pre-choruses. As such, this is a tremendous start to the record, but actually contains probably the least amount of catchiness of the ten songs. "Death Museum" starts more straight forward, but comes around after the first chorus with memorable guitars playing a very simple power chord to riff segment. Consistent with previous positive and happy sunshine lyrics, Laney utters "when we awake from our deep dark sleep/will we crawl, crawl from our self-made mausoleum" as the signature line from "Death Museum." This is followed by the hot "Blackouts" and it sub-chorus oddity of "Can I kick it?/Can I kick it?...." This is the first track were you see a glimpse of the catchiness that Challenger possesses. "Unemployment" comes at you swirling around several times before exploding past a bridge to a super breakdown reminiscent of some Milemarker constructions. "This Is Only A Test" is the second song with an ultra-fetching segment, where a combo of singers lead up to a chorus of "Hey, it's alright if you want to spend the night/It's alright." "Brand Loyalty" is one of the more abrasive tracks in the first couple of minutes before a section of various people repeating the line "You're great, but it's never going to workout between us/After tonight we'll never be together again." "Sweet Vaccine" is similar in structure and sound to "Brand Loyalty." "The Angry Engineer" finds Challenger back to the same aggressive feeling as the opener "Input the Output." Burian offers up the main vocals on the start for the mid-tempo and more DC- sounding "Crushed City." The guitar work - with doubling guitar riffs - gives it a feel like the Dismemberment Plan with balls or a more esoteric Piebald. The finale "The Trojan House" is a slower mover that exudes more indie rock than aggressive punk of earlier tracks. But as the five-minute opus that it is, it's definitely one of the standout tracks on the record and a great way to the end the record. The major concern with Challenger is whether or not they continue on or simply serve as a fleeting side project of the powerhouse Milemarker. What happens is mostly a function of things that can't be known at this time, but it is certainly difficult in various ways to maintain a successful side project when the main band is drawing you back - just see Conor Oberst with Desa. The morale of this story is get this record immediately when it comes out and make sure to check them out live, since you may not have the opportunity for much longer. Check out the Challenger Interview!
Atomship This is the first single from Atomship's upcoming record The Crash of ‘47 that's due in the Spring of 2004. I don't know how this song - or band - is any different from anything else that passes by on mainstream rock radio. It is another one of those bands with talented musicians that are dragged down by a lack of creativity in song construction. Hopefully their record will give us something to smile about.
Burning
Bridges So
for few seconds I was thrown...until I re-read the bands name...Burning
Bridges!...Not burning brides...that makes a lot more sense...the
hardcore would have been a serious departure...anyway...that 'g'
was throwing me. I'm usually very anti...well everything, but
this was pretty cool as well. It's amazing how a 2 minute song
can feel like 20 minutes. There chock-a-block full of riff on
this fucker. Vocally its screamy but not tough guy frat boy screamy
( that's a good thing ). It's a pretty metal album, with a lot
of text book hardcore breakdowns...gotta love the abrupt slowage
of riffs, "da da da da...da da da da". Then seconds
later its ripping fast. Bonus points for having bearded vocalist
named Hans!
Crack:
We Are Rock
Edgewater This is the first single out from the forthcoming soundtrack to the Punisher film. Edgewater knock out a three-minute affair of straight-up rock but mixed with tinges of punk. Although, it is almost as if they are forcing themselves to sound one way when their natural inclination is to go another way. That is, knock off the slick production and "man-vocals" and they are not that far from the Get Up Kids and the like. This is a decent start for their debut record South of Sideways on Windup in the Spring 2004.
Evergreen What makes this a cool record is that it is a re-issue from 1995 for a band that have hands in many cookie jars over the past decade (e.g., Cinderblock, The Breeders, Palace Brothers and Aerial M). What makes this exceptional is that Evergreen were excelling in all cylinders with the stripped-down garage rock that a plethora number of bands have been molesting to various degrees during the past five years. Admittedly, I was turned off at first without knowing anything about them because they sounded like the bandwagon come calling. Likewise, then, Evergreen is a by-product of influences from bands like the Stooges, sometimes early Fugazi (e.g., "Glass Highway") and shit from two decades earlier. Besides from the straight-up instruments, the most distinctive elements of Evergreen are Sean McLoughlin vocals and the, at times, catchy bass lines of Troy Cox. It seems that McLoughlin could be thrilling balls-to-the-wall live. Amongst the thirteen tracks (two are bonus for the reissue), the notable tracks include "Solar Song," "Plastic Bag" and "Petting the Beast." I really like that TRL is releasing this kind of music, thus expanding their instrumental group core.
Explosions
in the Sky Two
years after their breakthrough record Those Who Tell the Truth
Shall Die..., Explosions in the Sky offer their second for TRL
in an amazing and dazzling display of instrumentation. Lauded
over by many a critic, including those at Rolling Stone, the Texas
four-piece of Explosions in the Sky have further honed and hammered
their craft to present us with stunning five tracks (in forty-five
minutes) on The Earth.... As is often the case, or at least should
be, with instrumental pieces you have to submerge yourself in
the song to really get a feel for it and appreciate what is going
on. You can't say ‘just listen to this small part;' you have
to take in the whole. This is probably the only instrumental record
that I was able to drive to and not get sleepy. Inexplicably,
everything became clear and concentration came easily and convincingly
with Explosions in the background as I drove the desolate I-85.
You know how they say that listening to classical music helps
the analytical side of your brain in short-term problems? Well,
the five tracks here smack Mozart's ass in that respect. As a
friend is fond of saying: this is perfect music for coming off
your Cradle of Filth high.
Bob
Guiney Though this is the first record for Bob Guiney on Windup, he has been in the game for a bit now. Most people know Bob simply as "Bachelor Bob" from the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise. Armed with members from Verve Pipe and Sponge, Guiney knocks out ten tracks of radio-friendly rock pop. One downside of this is that the songs sound almost too professional and lacking recording passion. I mean, Guiney's vocals are strong and well-done but the songs sound awfully safe and lacking innovation. It is almost as if studio techs have just knocked out songs they recycled from previous material. In addition, in promotion I would lay off having Guiney as the cover art, etc., because we are not in the land of teeny pop that demands such focus. I know that Guiney is the central figure and has some fame and all, but a better presentation of the product would lend more integrity to the music. Regardless, I have to admit the first single "Girlfriend" is a song that you are likely to hear a lot of on the radio in the future. I can imagine fans of the show will eat this up.
Gwendolyn
Gwendolyn has the oddball metaphors and quirky, rolling acoustic guitar melodies that recall Syd Barrett and his Madcap Laughs albums. This madcap, crazy wisdom exudes from such tracks as "Eskimo" and "Cuckoo for You". This giver her songs a unique quality and fills the arrangements with surprise and freshness. You may have heard Gwendolyn before, she is responsible for the catchy "Freedom of the Heart (Ooodily, Ooodily)" from the film Chuck & Buck. She also has a medieval, almost eerie quality to some songs, like the dirge ballad "Lady Strange". She is also in good company here. Ralph Carney (Tom Waits) provides some horns and lap guitar while Quazar is on hand to provide not all sorts of found object percussion. Quirky and engaging, this is a splendiferous album. (-Tom Schulte)
Hatebreed As their second full-length for Universal, Hatebreed unleash twelve songs of throwdown, tough-guy hardcore. And with one of the hardest working people in music leading them, Jamey Jasta, this record is sure to enhance and exponentially increase Hatebreed's presence on the hard music scene. It's hard not to like Hatebreed and Jasta's presence on the scene and how he is pushing for the local guys with his label imprint Stillborn Records (check out Revolver Magazine's story about Jasta for more). Many existent reviews of The Rise of Brutality tout the record as one of the best of the year and certainly of Hatebreed's decade long history. Naturally, production-wise it is easy to make that claim. We also find Hatebreed mixing up the sludgy grind with more metal and old-school hardcore riffs - and in some respects an improvement on the grand Perseverance. With the production, Sean Martin's guitars are tightly filled out and perfectly overdubbed, you can actually make out the grumbling bass of Chris Beattie and Matt Byrne's drums snap harder than before - though I would have preferred a stronger prominence of the double-bass. And as eluded to, Jasta still spews out a level of intensity and honesty not easily matched - and remarkably without blowing out his voice of the course of a decade. Lyrically, the twelve songs also contain your perfectly placed sing-a-longs and throwdowns. Yet, in terms of songs that grab you and imprint themselves on your memory, The Rise of Brutality is missing what their Victory release Satisfaction is the Death of Desire had in droves. There you had songs that you could play for someone and they would instantly be like ‘this is awesome.' It may partially be a by-product of their own success, but Hatebreed has a tough time in differentiating themselves from the plethora of other heavy music bands in the twelve songs here. Are they tighter than most hardcore bands? Yes. Is Jasta one of the best frontman in the business? Absolutely. I guess that I'm searching for more differentiation and the ability to grab a listener by the balls with the drop of the hat. If you have been plugged into Hatebreed for several years than you will obviously enjoy The Rise of Brutality - especially if you were a big fan of last year's Perseverance. Regardless of what I may have said or not said, be sure to check out Jasta hosting the newly formed Headbanger's Ball on MTV2 and kicking off the pop stars to make way for the metal.
The
Hokkaido Concern Knocking out another EP is the four-piece the Hokkaido Concern from Newark, Delaware. Hokkaido Concern come forth with a strong element on DC indie rock held together with a heavy reliance on instrumentals. That is, amongst the five songs there are few sections of singing and mostly multi-segmented complicated playing. Generally, there are parts in all five songs that richly rock with hot guitar riffs (e.g., "Maria"), but there is some filler that you need to plow through first. As such, one comparison is an angrier Jazz June or more poppy Fugazi. I would be interested in checking out a well-planned and recorded full-length album from these guys in the future - so labels get going.
Howard
Hello As their second record as Howard Hello, Kenseth Thibideau (Pinback, Tarentel, Rumah Sakit) and Marty Anderson (Dilute) wind through nine tracks of acoustic guitar and electronic pop bliss. Often I'm not taken by chill instrumentals if they rack up too many esoteric crap points. But the music Thibideau and Anderson produce is heavenly and they top it off with either whimsy angelic vocals or raspy old woman singing from the likes of Chelsea Rose Owen, Patricia Kavanuagh, Simeon Flick and Anderson himself. Either way and anyway the songs drill a hole in your head and make a serious lasting impression on your brain. As the harmonies dance and present a waterfall appearance on the "Intro," you start to realize that you are really liking what is going on here. The next track "Giving Up" stands out as the best on the record with mesmerizing guitars and electronics coupled with the heavenly vocals. It's a wise decision to start off a mainly instrumental album in this splendid way. By "Parasite," we find Lightning Seeds' harmonizing by backups and Anderson's straight up spoken-vocals and then the clincher of raspy and crackled vocals. It is also worth checking out "Way to Go" for listening pleasure. This is one of the biggest surprise records of the winter.
Jesse
James For a fleeting moment I was hoping that this was a record by Jesse James of Discovery Channel fame. But Jesse James is actually a punk ska six-piece (plus others) from the heart of the UK. Having initial success with a couple releases in Europe on Golf Records, they have joined with Union for the Canadian release of their second album Mission. Recorded at Fat Mike's studio in SF, there is a certain Fat Wreck feel to it particularly with some guitar parts (e.g., "Hills vs. Mountains"). Otherwise, Jesse James play punk with a supporting cast of horns that belie influences such as the Clash and Suicide Machines. That is, fast paced punk but very tight and well-diagramed song constructions. Jesse James starts off on "Six Minutes" with start-stop guitars leading to a catchy chorus accented by horns. "First Day On A Brand New Planet" stands out as a star once you get past the opening seconds. "Dear Jesus" is a pisser with muting guitars and singing that sound like the John Samson songs from Propagandhi. Other tracks to check out include "Growin' Up," "We Used To Talk" and "Hills vs. Mountains." If you are down on Fat Wreck bands like Lagwagon, etc., then you should find pleasure from the UK's Jesse James.
Kammerflimmer
Kollektief After re-releasing two of KK's albums in 2001, Incummunicado and Maander, TRL offer up the latest from this now German six-piece. The brainchild of Thomas Weber, KK match the effortless sound of ambient electronics with elements of jazz-noise to produce a sweet product. Though their previous material has been stellar, Cicadidae is several echelons above - most notably in its production. KK's six-piece utilize almost every instrument in this ten track affair - including brass and strings, the normal set, electronics, keyboards...except please no sax (e.g., "Mantra"). They took two years to finish the record - consistent with previous efforts - using both programmed and live instrumentation. What is most evident on tracks like the amazing opener "Neumond Inselhin" is the use of the strings to provide a dark, earthly feel to the production. In addition, the use of slow electro-beats gives some tracks a type of hip movie gusto. Other tracks that rival the opener include "Sie Tranken Regen (Version)," "Eiderdaunen (gerupft)" and "‘There's a Weight On You, But You Can't Feel It.'" At the end of the day, this is some high-brow shiznit from the high-brow Germans.
Alan
Lomax The
world is full of blues compilations. Even blues compilations that
have such songs as "Dust my Broom" and "Stagolee".
Heck, I bet many are given away free with a tank of gas. But nowhere
else are you going to get the real deal recorded in the field
by Alan Lomax himself. By its very nature, and even with digital
transfer technology, this is a warts-and-all compendium, meaning
there is a recording hum behind Pete Johnson doing "Roll
'Em" (1938) and is that a blown jug or over modulated percussion
buzzing on "Kokomo" by The Memphis Jug Band? Who cares
what recording imperfections lie on the surface when underneath
is such a primary source as Memphis Slim, Sonny Boy Williamson
and Big Bill Broonzy together doing "Life is Like That"
or Mississippi Fred McDowell with Fanny Davis and Mile Pratcher
on "Goin' Down the River"? Check out this trio closing
out the second disc of this two-disc set: Leadbelly with Sonny
Terry and Brownie McGhee doing "How Long Blues". Always
generous and complete on documentation, Rounder provides this
set with a thick booklet detailing every track; it's performers
as well as place and time of recording. Featuring previously unreleased
Lomax recordings, Blues Songbook includes Son House, Blind Willie
McTell, Muddy Waters and more. (-Tom Schulte)
Long
Since Forgotten Before I read anything about this latest from Syracuse's Long Since Forgotten, I thought it held a very close sounding Ed Rose piece (the genius producer from Kansas who has helmed some classic records including the Get Up Kids, the Anniversary and Limbeck). With the knowledge of Rose's hand in this piece, the sheer poppiness layered on the indie rock foundation makes almost too much sense. This is the second full-length that LSF have done for RocketStar and with Rose, after releasing a full-length and EP on their own. The four-piece rock very close to Jimmy Eat World with the right mix of harmony-driven vocals and accompanying filling guitar work. While LSF excel at sweet bubbly happiness - not in lyrics but in presentation - they don't seem to take many chances and travel down a safe and predictable path. Clearly this approach has some positives - mainly the instantly audiology appealing thirteen tracks here. But some breaks in the formula with a shuffling of song structure or wisely placed electronics would have taken LSF to the next level. Still, I have to give a big high-five for the smartly placed track "Prize Fighter" as the opener to the record. Instead of burying their best song in the middle or something, they put it up front and say here we are with our best shot. Other tracks worth their time include "On My Way," "Broken Record" (brimming with pop), "Euclid Crashed" and the finale "Another Song." The sheer radio friendly poppiness of this record almost assures popularity at a higher level than LSF or RocketStar may have previously thought possible.
The
Lovelies Before anything should be said about this three-piece from Milwaukee, the track "Slow Down Navigator" is absolutely brilliant. With very deliberate guitar and the trading vocals of Liv Mueller and Barb Endes, it is a rock sensation that should score major points on college radio. Ok. As mentioned the Lovelies come out of the cold from Milwaukee, headed by guitarist and vocalist Liv Mueller and backed by Barb Endes on bass and vocals and Billy Backes on drums. This is the Lovelies third full-length and by all accounts their best thanks to sufficient time and facilities with funds from Force MP (their first two were a self-financed jobs) to provide a top-notch recording. Though it's the third album, Mueller is the only original and central member left with Endes joining in 2000 and Backes shortly after. The Lovelies rock the pop hard with sonic guitars and tremendously hot vocals by Mueller and Endes - something reminiscent of the Breeders and simple Pixies's songs in a stripped down manner. Preferring to rock in matching outfits - for now, white leather - the Lovelies seem to have paid serious dues in the Midwest playing a plethora of shows between Milwaukee and Austin. Besides from the aforementioned "Slow Down Navigator," one should also check out amongst the thirteen tracks "I Want Your Love," "Catalina" (which was also on their previous record Hot One), "Taken" and "Look At Your Self." I'm looking forward to checking out the Lovelies live in this new year and so should you.
Madball After several years of turmoil and coming into and out of existence, the ever-present tough guy Madball unleash a new EP for upstart Thorp Records and all the uninitiated youngings. The core of Madball remains with Freddy fronting the mic and Hoya on bass, and they are now joined with Mitts on guitar and Rigg on drums. As many people know Madball started two decades ago as a side project of Agnostic Front with Freddy (one of the members' brothers) on vocals as a young teenager. After Madball formed as their own band and not just a side project, they knocked out a plethora of releases in the NYHC scene. While the four songs on this new EP are worth picking it up, there is a brief history of Madball and a video for "Tightrope." The history part is what's really worth getting. It is little more than just interviews on digital camera, but it fills in a bunch of holes in the NYHC scene. The video for "Tightrope" is as you might suspect - a live show with a lot of throwdowns. Honestly, the four songs on the EP proper all kick ass (particularly, "For My Enemies") and make you rethink any image of Madball as a chugging hoodcore band. If this is Madball's opening shot at a new voyage into heavy music - and it helps to be touring with Hatebreed - then people better make way.
Nice
Nice Clearly
the most impressive and noteworthy aspect of the sixteen tracks
from this Portland, OR duo is that the record was recorded live
with no overdubs, fills, etc. of any sort. Nice Nice, composed
of Jason Buehler and Mark Shirazi, on their first TRL release
basically play free-form experimental noise - as close to noise
jazz as you are going to find. What I do enjoy is that the noise
is at least agreeable and I can sit through the record without
going looney - not like AOR or Nervous Cop. It doesn't seem like
Buehler and Shirazi are just throwing shit together because its
random but there is a method to the experimentation. This is one
of the few instrumental noise bands I would be down to go see
live.
RX
Bandits When
you hear the name RX Bandits and that they are on Drive-Thru you
probably automatically think something along the line of a Left
Coast Bouncing Souls. Though, the RX Bandits, having been rocking
since the mid-90s, molest the punk genre in many different directions.
Some directions on this latest full-length (and third for Drive-Thru)
are more appealing than others, but there is a little bit for
everyone. In addition, it is safe to say that you get your money's
worth on this outstanding packaging, twelve-track, hour long record
accompanied by a DVD with three videos of live songs, an acoustic
version of the album track "Overcome" by Matt Embree,
photos and an interview with Embree. The live footage is from
a well-filmed show on digital video, but the interview with Embree,
though fine, could have been bolstered considerably with other
members' input. The album is recorded live to give a better sense
of their energy from a live show. "Sell You Beautiful"
kicks off the record on a hard punk note with elements of ska
to add richness. This is certainly one of the best and catchiest
tracks here. "Prophetic" follows with a circus start
before a strong reliance on straight-up pop-punk and "Newsstand
Rock" continues that trend. "Newsstand Rock" comes
across like something you find from one of the political bands
on Fat Wreck. "Overcome" follows this in a ska/reggae
foundation that Embree notes is one of his favorites. Though that
may be the case, I think the RX Bandits excel when they are straight
up rocking and limiting the crossover to reggae. While Embree's
voice handles all styles, I find that his punk vocals to be very
strong and appealing. Though competently done, preferences fly
for reggae from the source. Other notable tracks that fit preferences
include "Never Slept So Soundly" with a great guitar
riff, "Mastering the List" and "Decrescendo."
Although The Resignation differs from previous RX Bandits' records,
fans will surely enjoy this latest and the amount of material
contained here within.
Skare
Tactic Ok,
it takes balls to open an album with a sample from a RECENT movie...If
I'm not mistaken its Paul Newman in Road to Perdition. Its no
classic as of yet, and it's a Tom Hanks film. It's a good quote,
but I'm not sure about it fitting...I'd have preferred the band
mine the depths of an obscure movie...but I'm getting off track.
I've never heard of Skare Tactic but it ain't half bad. I'm not
one to be into straight up hard core but this stuff has all the
right breakdowns and tempo changes. There's even an quick old
school chant! There's lots of great bass intros and breaks downs,
something that is sorely lacking in modern heavy music. If your
feel like supporting some straight up modern hardcore check these
guys out.
Stampin'
Ground/North Side Kings This is a split cd of covers of old-school hardcore by the UK's Stampin' Ground (who just were signed to metal-maven Century Media) and the US's North Side Kings. I'm not entirely sure what the value of this record is though, since for the most part both bands perform very close to the original covers. The main difference is that most of the tracks are heavier and better recorded than the originals - as you might expect. Regardless, Stampin' Ground offer up covers of Judge ("Bringin' It Down"), Vio-lence ("Calling in the Coroner"), Cro-Mags ("Malfunction"), Knuckledust ("As One"), Agnostic Front ("United Blood") and Inside Out ("By a Thread"). North Side Kings offer up four covers of S.O.D. ("Fuck the Middle East"), D.R.I. ("I'd Rather Be Sleeping"), Suicidal Tendencies ("I Want More") and Cro-Mags ("Malfunction") - competing with Stampin' Ground's version. North Side Kings provide an original ("Home of the Brave" - which has the unfortunate distinction of being the only original in a bastion of classic hardcore tracks) and a cover of the A-Team theme song. Again, this record is neat to have, but I prefer the originals.
Statistics This is the first full-length from the Statistics (aka, Denver Dalley), after the hot EP that came out last year for Jade Tree. Dalley comes from the newly-anointed rock capital of the world Omaha, Nebraska, where he is a member of the powerhouse Desperarecidos (feat. Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes). Dalley also has members of Omaha's the 1989 Chicago Cubs and the Goodlife helping him out with touring. (As in many ‘scenes,' many of Omaha's bands - or at least those associated with Saddle Creek - have severe cross-membership, though all distinct empires). Interestingly, the explosion of Oberst and Bright Eyes forced Desa to be temporarily shelved and thus allowed Dalley to work on his own thing. As on the EP, the inordinately tall Dalley brings his guitars to the forefront accented by minimal electronics (e.g., Moogs) to round out the experience. As such, many of the tracks are close to instrumentals and don't possess any type of standard verse-chorus-verse construction. Yet, the tracks where Dalley does offer up that construction typically are exceptional and makes you glad to own the record. Not that the more instrumental numbers are bad, but Dalley could take the Statistics to upper echelons by capturing the magic of the guitar work on a song like "Mr. Nathan" and applying it to more swallowable affairs. This is what I thought about the EP. The few standard songs all smoked, but the instrumentals seemed too much like playing around. While the instrumentals here are more planned out, an emphasis on vocals may push the Statistics over the edge. It is not as though Dalley doesn't recognize this and probably includes the instrumentals for the purpose of separation. However, just one listen to a track like "Hours Seemed Like Days" (which was also on the EP) and you will be fan of Dalley's more standard rock songs. One downside to the album is that it too short. Not like real short, just shorter than you want it to be given the great material. But that may be a strategy - it worked for the Faint with Blank-Wave. Besides from the above, be sure to check out "Sing A Song," "The Grass is Always Greener" which addresses the situations of his fellow Omaha rock peers, "2 A.M." and "Reminisce." Though this full-length doesn't entirely fulfill Dalley's potential given his EP, it does not fall that far short.
Steel
Train As
the second EP for Steel Train on Drive Thru, the five-piece from
NYC continue on their trend as standing out in the Drive Thru
punk lineup. Steel Train rely on classic rock and folk to provide
their grounding. There sound came out as a three-piece in their
first EP For You My Dear, which was released in January ‘03.
The most distinctive element about the six songs on the previous
EP were Scott Irby-Ranniar and Jack Antonoff's vocals - a sound
approaching Son, Ambulance or something from Saddle Creek. Here,
Steel Train take six of their favorite songs that were released
in 1969 and provide their interpretation. The covers include the
Jackson Five's "I Want You Back," "Helplessly Hoping"
by Crosby, Stills and Nash, Bob Marley's "Natural Mystic,"
David Bowie's "Space Oddity," the Beatles' "I Want
You (She's So Heavy)" and CCR's "Bad Moon Rising."
As such, it is a neat idea and demonstrates their musical abilities.
However, I don't know what this adds since the covers are fairly
faithful to the originals. I really like when the covers provide
some unique twist on the originals, instead of just regurgitation.
Therefore, any one of these six songs would be cool to play during
the course of show, but they should leave the recordings to the
original provocateurs.
The
Strokes Naturally, as this is one of the most anticipated releases of late 2003, critics, fans and everyone else waited with baited breath for the sophomore releases from the Strokes. Room On Fire has already been named by some as Is This It - Part 2 for its sound likeness to their debut. Although in many respects that designation is true, it is not such a bad thing to have given that Is This It absolutely ruled and helped usher in the rebirth of stripped-down garage rock. On the other hand Room On Fire comes across with tighter production value but without any drop off in sheer rawness from this NYC fivesome. An infinitesimal amount of ink and space has been devoted to exposing members of the Strokes' oddities - particularly lead singer Julian Casablancas (see, e.g., recent issues of Rolling Stone). Yet, what makes them unique outside of the rock, makes them unique when they are rocking. It is finally nice to see the Strokes in the news about something rock-orientated then just being in the social tabloids. Room On Fire kicks off on "What Ever Happened?" with familiar guitar buildup to Casablancas' distinctive crooning. More importantly, the straight strumming and simple-yet- catchy guitar solos sets the foundation for the rest of the record and brings you back to the world of the Strokes. This is followed up "Reptilia" with bass serving as the intro to Casablancas' lazy vocals exploding on the chorus. The chorus to "Automatic Stop"'s guitars sound like that classic music piece about fall and leaves or some kind of shit like that. Once you hear it you know what I'm talking about. The next track "12:51" is the first single off the record and with good reason - it is reassuring the best song on the record is being targeted as the first single by the label. The song hardly has an off moment and the use of minimal electronics to accent the main riff and match the vocals - along with gently hand clapping - is genius. These first four songs certainly are the best on the record. Though not to be outdone, special attention should also be given to "Meet Me in the Bathroom," "The End Has No End," "You Talk Way Too Much" and the finale "I Can't Win." Clearly, the Strokes prove with this sophomore breakthrough that they are not a one trick pony or a here-today-gone-tomorrow sensations. The true test for the Strokes is to survive the next year's media frenzy and knock out another sensational record a couple of years from now.
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