Hey kids, it’s almost that time of year again, time to put away the winter clothes, get yourself outside, and breathe in some of that Wormtown air. If you’re in a local band it’s time to press copies of your new record or to repress copies of your old record. It’s time to get your van off the cinder blocks and running, fix it up, change the fluids, and get ready to see this beautiful nation of ours up close. Though this plan isn’t for every band out there in Wormtown, it seems appropriate for the bands being reviewed this month. (Phil McNamara)
BOTTLEFIGHT – “CHEAP ASS RECORD” (Produced, Engineered, Mixed by Steve Blake at Toad Hall Studios in East Douglas, Ma; Mastered by Roger Lavallee at Tremolo Lounge in West Boyslton, Ma)
The redneck revolution continues as the pride of Athol has reloaded with eleven more songs guaranteed to rock, amuse, and offend you. The disc opens with the nihilistic hippie vibe of “Get Fucked and Die.” I can’t think of a better song to kick it off with. For the uninitiated, it will show you that there’s a reason for all those Motorhead comparisons; but that doesn’t do them justice. Aside from being funny as hell, “Get Fucked and Die” rocks with the speed, fury, and catchiness of the Ramones, the guitar pyrotechnics of Ted Nugent, the reckless abandon of Bon Scott era AC/DC, with a little Cheap Trick melody thrown in for good measure. If ‘80s metal had actually sounded like this, I might have liked some of those bands.
“Johnny” tells the story of a disturbed youth over blazing guitars and sing along harmonies, harping back to “Mommy’s Got a Gun” from their first album, “Glorious Dirt.” The drums kick into double time speed for “Traction” as guitarist Steve Cumming’s roaring guitar leads sound like a mix of country blues and speed metal, suitable for really fast square dancing. These guitar leads and the 3 part sing along harmonies make this song for me. The next three tunes rock with all the requisite Bottlefight traits: roaring guitar solos, frantic drums, a hard churning bass riff that keeps everything together and of course the titles “Rich Bitch,” “Gutter Slut” and “LUV Machine.” Hey, remember that it’s tongue in cheek stuff kids. This should appeal to the South Park and Beavis and Butthead crowd or folks going to the Motley Crew reunion, but isn’t doing much for me. “Off with your Head” is much funnier, but still suffers from a little sameness. “People Like You” ties “Get Fucked and Die” for my favorite song on the record. It’s a slam dance worthy tune as the guitars, bass, and drums barrel along in synch at breakneck pace. The refrain captures the best parts of AC/DC and Cheap Trick all in one. I must admit reluctantly that it reminds me of Poison. Is it possible that Poison might have actually written songs that I like? I suppose anything’s possible.
The album starts its home stretch with “Breakdown,” a fast gritty song with Cummings belting out the vocals with full force. The album has another personal fave in, “Bored.” Steve Cummings spouts some of the grimmest lyrics, but the Queen like backing vocals and reckless jam that backs him makes it one of the most fun songs on the record. While Cummings fires off blazing metallic leads, drummer Craig and bassist Aaron keep a countrified two step beat going. On one hand the song is like 80s metal, but on the other it’s more akin to Lynyrd Skinner / Molly Hatchet southern rock. The tour de force of the record comes with the finale “Rock and Roll Until you Shit your Pants,” a tale of the trials of being a redneck in a small town rock band, with a speedy rock and roll hoedown feel. Though the song has a unique Bottlefight stamp on it musically (in this case a sped up version of Queen’s funky hard rock grooves), lyrically it reminds me a little of AC/DC’s “It’s A Long Way to the Top…” The live crowd reaction at the end of it seems to fit right into the record. The thing is you don’t have to like Bottlefight’s influences to like Bottlefight. Though much of Bottlefight’s sound is borrowed from bands throughout the ages, there are plenty of songs on this album that sound like they could only be done by Bottlefight. If you didn’t think you liked depraved, redneck, sing along hard rock; pick up this disc and maybe you’ll find out that you do.
http://www.bottlefight.com
GATSBY – “FLOODS AND FIRES” (Produced by Mike Quinn and Gatsby; Engineered and Mixed by Mike Quinn at Moontower Studio in Cambridge, MA; Mastered by Ian Kennedy at New Alliance East in Boston, MA)
Last year Rilo Kiley released an album called “More Adventurous.” This new Gatsby album fits that description and would have been worthy of that name if it wasn’t already taken. My initial take on Gatsby upon hearing their first EP was that they were a simple pop band that wrote a lot of songs about girls. Nothing wrong with that, mind you, but one would guess that they were capable of more. This time around Gatsby has a wider range of subject matter and expands beyond its original straight up pop sound Gatsby kicks off the disc with a dramatic intro for “Pretty to Think So.” Guitarists Jay Figueroa and Brandon Walsh fire up high tones and distortion for an interesting mix. The second tune “Snakes” would sound right at home here in the Wormtown pop scene. Though this record is made with the same producer and same studio as their demo, it sounds like they’ve increased their production ambitions fivefold. The pretty finger-picked beginning of “High Low” drifts into a mellow mix of ambience and pop balladry. If you can picture an Elton John song done by Radiohead, it’s kind of like that, only it doesn’t suck. “It’s All my Fault” has a mix of Beatlesque harmonies and classic early 80s pop feel to it. The lyrics are catchy and there are three or four different things going on with the vocals that make it a standout song on the record. Anyone remember Crowded House? This reminds me of them a little.
In the middle of this album Gatsby gets an experimental edge. After a mellow instrumental, “Grad School” kicks off with a busy drum beat and angular guitars and vocals that bring early emo punk to mind, sorta Hot Water Music with the strained vocals of Braid. Gatsby keeps this feeling flowing with “Prizefight.” On the surface it’s a straight up pop song that Huck or Curtain Society would be proud to call their own, but it’s got a syncopated math rock instrumental backing. The band unleashes a load of primal rage in “Paint”; the raw frantic guitars, racing drums and repeating vocals remind me of early ‘90s Dischord Record bands like Jawbox and Hoover. The song will blast out of your stereo like a fire alarm. This middle part of the album is my favorite as I often find myself fast forwarding up to “It’s All My Fault” and starting from there.
Gatsby throws out the rule book toward the end of the disc with a mix of hip hop beats, jazzy piano and ambient background vocals on “Heavy.” This mellow psychedelia drifts into the casually strummed guitar opening of “Agent Birds.” They save what might be their best song (it’s hard to pick just one, you know) for third to last. While I usually advocate stacking your albums with the best songs up front for people with ADD, it’s nice to hear an album that gives you something for listening to it all the way through. “My Piano” is quite rewarding. I love the way the beginning of this song builds up. I think I like bassist/ singer Alan Wuorinen’s vocals best on this song, the guitar and piano interplay in the song is just right, and Gatsby nails the four part harmonies. No one writes songs like this any more. I could tell you who used to, of course then most of you would need me to explain who Hip Tanaka was. Gatsby goes out with a winner as the rockin’ jam in “Cut Me Down” leaves the listener wanting more. Wuorinen’s vocals range from a straight pop style along the lines of Matthew Sweet, a high range falsetto, a boozy Lou Reed voice, and a punk rock scream to finish it off. All in all it’s a fun listen. It’s not the fully realized all time greatest Gatsby album, but it sounds like it could be the album that comes before it.
They also throw on an untitled mystery track which is kind of noodly and silly as untitled mystery tracks tend to be. Lastly, I always appreciate good album artwork and the front and back cover pictures of a house in a flood and a house on fire; they’re simple enough, but work for me.
http://www.gatsbymusic.com
THE NUMBSKULLS – “THE LAST…” (Produced by Roger Lavallee and The Numbskulls; Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Roger Lavalee at Tremolo Lounge West Boylston, MA)
Worcester’s favorite stupidly smart punk band is back with the first part of what they claim will be a trilogy, starting with this first installment titled, “The Last….” Doh!! Those Numbskulls! After bringing us the fun loving EP “G-String” and the punk rock masterpiece “Manifest Destiny” The Numbskulls now offer up a trilogy, three discs that will connect as a concept album. Those Numbskulls! A concept album might work for Green Day, but I’m pretty sure those Green Day guys could fart in a bag and their fans would buy the recording of it. How do the prospects look for the Numbskulls?, pretty good judging from these first five songs. The Numbskulls start strong with a straight rock and roll stomp opening and guitarist/frontman Alex’s howling voice demanding “How long will it take before you loose all of your self respect and learn from your mistakes?”
Alex’s and James’ guitars come across loud and clear while they crank out fierce, dirty, riffs. Lysie’s bass is rock steady and fit perfectly with the mostly straight up rock and roll drumming (I have no idea whether it’s Chris Sonic or Jay SBGB) and all four Numbskulls shout along on the refrain. They picked a great song to start the disc. “Suckerbait” mixes pogo worthy punk rock with swirling cow punk guitar riffs and galloping drums as Alex skewers advertising and popular culture. I’m biased from seeing the Numbskulls live so many times, but “Take It” is my favorite song on the disc. It’s a future Numbskull classic. The angriest song on the Ep, “Take It” has the happiest beginning as a fat ska bass riff set’s off swirling guitars. It quickly descends into thrashy punk as all four Numbskulls raise their voice for a profanity filled refrain.
“No Way Out” has a late 80’s hardcore punk feel to it, a little of the personal/political punk rock ranting of Milo from the Descendents and a little Social Distortion. The finale “Misfit Blues” is a beer raising rocker. Lyrically Alex tells a story of a family fleeing Nazi Germany that’s part historical and part love song. The refrain of “I’m nothing without you,” makes me realize that it’s probably the most beautiful love song that Alex has ever written. He did write a nice one about their van on the last album, but I like this one better. The two things that stand out on this record: Alex’s lyrics are more direct and more politically motivated than ever and instead of everything being straight punk there’s a lot more rock, roots, and groove on this record. So these five songs…there’s not a clunker in the lot. If this is the Numbskulls’ new direction, it looks like a good one to me.
http://www.thenumbskulls.com
SILENT DRIVE – “LOVE IS WORTH IT” (Produced, Engineered, Mixed, and Mastered by Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado)
This new local band features Zach Jordan and Pete Chilton from local hardcore powerhouse Bane on vocals and bass respectively. Their new project, while obviously influenced by hardcore, has elements of rock from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. In the crowded field of post hardcore and indie rock, this has enough uniqueness to stand out. As the title would indicate this album reflects on love, though much of it reflects on loss. The liner notes on it say that “This band is dedicated to David Van Sameren and Steven Neale,” two members of the Silent Drive family that lived for music and died over the past few years. The album starts with Dave Joyal’s drum solo, which sounds like it’s coming from a far away basement to break open “4/16” as a wash of guitars kick the song into high gear. The pop punk speed and layered vocals quickly bring Jimmy Eat World to mind. Lyrically, it’s a sad tribute to a dead friend as Jordan sings, “This 4/16 we may all just smile, because you know that you were something worth smiling about. The loss you have, the love you lost, and the hope that’s in between. You try to hold on to it and start making your way back to see what you can see.”
Though nothing on the album is as purely emotional as the opener, it’s filled with well thought out songs. It’s clear that this is more than just a side project. “American Classic” brings the pace down with a pop song that goes into a 80s power ballad ending with obscure Rush like scientific lyrics. I can listen to it a dozen times and still not know what the deal is with it, but I like it anyway. “Banana Rejection” is a mellow and catchy song that without the churning guitar opening, screaming, and length would fit in on WXLO. It’s a double edge sword as it’s probably the most radio friendly song on the album, but at the same time the least unique as it brings to mind a dozen emo bands on Drive Thru Records.
The songs in the middle of the album are filled with very personal lyrics. “Rooftops” looks at a relationship-ending fight that continues long after the couple does. Musically “Rooftops” crashes through many genres, opening with Pete Chilton’s reverberating Cure like baseline, rising up with guitarist Nick Van Someren and drummer Dave Joyal’s head banging heavy metal / hard rock attack, and cresting with Jordan’s emotive screamed, sung, and wavering vocals. The band slows it down to power ballad speed on “Davey Crockett,” where Jordan sings of conquering fear, eventually descending into a wall-shaking scream, with his voice quivering through a vibrato effect. “Henpecked” , one of my favorite songs on the album, opens with a hardcore punk stomp. Jordan’s voice begins to bear a lot of resemblance to Nathan Gray of Boy Sets Fire, especially during the song’s refrain. The theme of couples throwing down continues with “The Punch.” The song has a mellow start and vocally almost sounds like John Mayer (In a good way…really). Jordan comes up with some of his most memorable lyrics as he sings/ screams the refrain of, “ Sweetheart says we don’t pick our lives, we just pick our paths.”
Long after the album is done “The Professional” will stay stuck in your conscience. It’s another emotion filled post breakup song where Jordan’s screamed vocals blend with Van Somerin’s slowly building looping guitar leads. The guitar part sounds like something out of a movie soundtrack…like the part right before someone gets killed. The guitars, drums, and Jordan’s voice climax into loud dramatic chaos by the end of the song. The album slows down with the mellow jazz of “The Broken Hearts Club” as violins and piano makes this song of heartbreak all that much sadder. The album winds up with the one two punch of “Our Lady of the Worthless Miracle” and “Boyfriend Notes.” “…Worthless Miracle” starts hard and fast as Jordan’s raspy Drive Like Jehu like scream rips through the speaker. “Boyfriend Notes” moves a little slower and is a little more musically expressive.
All and all I was pleasantly surprised by this CD. I was half expecting a rehash of almost every screamo and post hardcore band that I’ve heard since 1998. There is screaming on this record, but thankfully it’s not the only trick that they have. There’s a lot more than that going on here. My bad for lacking faith. I should’ve known that the guys that made old school hardcore sound fresh and new with Bane weren’t going to hand me a half ass derivative record.
http://www.equalvision.com
Well that was fun, for me anyways. I only have two albums scheduled for review next month, so if you’re in a local band or a band that plays Worcester once every few months or so and has a CD that you’ve released in the last year and would like to get it reviewed by the objective folks here at Wormtown, drop me a line at spaceguy3@msn.com or phil4rock@yahoo.com
Coming in April – Diecast, Orange Island, and ?
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