Upstarter

I always told myself that I didn’t want to write a review on anything when I couldn’t be completely positive.  I had a bit of a change of heart today.  I was reading Dying Scene’s Sacred Cow column today and today they were discussing Rancid’s…And Out Come the Wolves.  I read both sides, and I wanted to attack the guy who disputed the album’s greatness.  Then I came to my senses.  The one thing about punk music that other genres don’t have is fans who are passionate enough about the music to actually discuss what constitutes real greatness.  I will often read reviews of new albums, but I won’t always take what is said to heart.  That is another beautiful thing about punk rock, it promotes critical thinking and making your own decisions. 

That brings me to The Adjectives debut album, Bam! The Belgian group’s offering is comprised of 10 tracks and comes in at under 14 minutes in length.  It is like something out of Mall’d to Death’s playbook, almost.  The longest track runs about 2:30, and the shortest track about 10 seconds.  But while Mall’d to Death is quite skilled at making the most out of their songs and never really leaving the listener wanting more, The Adjectives need a little work on this. 

Bam!‘s opening track “Bulgarian Pancakes” is probably the band’s finest melody and could have made a great song, but it ends as just a short instrumental.  While others are longer and more complete, they still lack the impact that you would want or expect out of songs that are so short.  But there is an upside, the songs most powerful track, “Fuck You” is just ten seconds long and in all of its simplicity gets straight to the point and gets it across quite clear. 

The album’s title, Bam!, seems to imply that the listener will be hit hard and quick.  While it is quick, I wouldn’t say it hits hard.  This is a debut album, so these young men can do a lot more, and I think that if they follow the formula they have, they will.

I’ve been learning a lot about writing lately, and have gained a different perspective on it. Some view writing as a conversation had among people interested in the same topic with every piece building upon and influenced by the last.  I never thought of it like that before.  What does it have to do with The Enders latest album?  Well I never liked comparing bands to other bands, and saying this sounds like this or that because I always felt like it was taking away from the band and their efforts.  After taking on the new view of writing, I applied it to music.  What is music if not a culmination of different influences? 

On their Reverb Nation Page the band has NOFX, Sick of it All, Agnostic Front, Motorhead, and Minor Threat listed in their Sounds Like category.  That is a fairly diverse sound if all of those groups were put together.  But it’s true, the group weaves seamlessly between more hardcore offerings like “The Ruins of Ambition” and “The Path”, to more punk tunes like “Stand Your Ground” and  “Songs for the Working Class.”  “Pragmatic ” actually is my vision of what a song would sound like if Pennywise collaborated with Ben Kowalewicz of Billy Talent. Songs like “Manifesto” even remind me of another favourite of mine, Broadcast Zero.

If punk music really is a conversation, The Enders have paid close attention.  They have listened and gathered as much information before crafting their own reply, The Ruins of Ambition.  What results is a well crafted album that draws on those that came before and add their own voice to the conversation.

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I am not displeased to be introduced to Blk Galaga. I will keep them, as an arrow in my quiver, for a while. They are tight, with nice harmonies. The band has a future touring in cramped quarters, and rocking the venue. What they need is a deal with fat records. I like the band and their sounds, but I expect more out of a band from east of the Rockies. You be the judge.

Jimmy Bile

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© 2012 Hounds and Harlots
[rating:9/10]

Hot on the tail of their most recent demo release, Bay area street punk trio, Hounds & Harlots are back at it with a brand new full length. The record dropped around the tail end of 2012 and is set to be in heavy rotation for me in 2013.

The Good Fight comes fully equipped with 12 tracks of sing-a-long, rowdy, rollicking punk rock and roll. The songs are just like I like ‘em, upper tempo punk rock numbers all hitting around the two minute mark. Lyrically the music is firmly planted in punk culture; life on the road, coming back home, loss, loneliness, the daily grind of a working class life. It is relatable and heartfelt.

Musically, the songs are tight and focused. This is consistently the reason that I tend to like trios. With fewer working parts, each member is forced to be both solid and inventive to create a larger/bigger sound that belies the minimal nature; Crisp guitar, solid bass, snappy drums and articulate vocals complement the arrangements well.

At the end of the day, this is what punk rock is all about. Anger and energy lashed together with a fierce loyalty and albeit battered and bruised, a glimmer of hope at the end of a dark night. So cheers to the fellas from Divisadero on a spot on new release, one that I helps take them up a rung or two higher in rock and roll echelons.

–Jerry Actually

Let the reviews begin!