Joey
Cape - Bridge (Suburban Home)
I was prepared to tear this album to shreds
as I have zero tolerance for 99% of Lagwagon's
recorded output, but it's not all that bad.
For the unaware, Joey Cape is the frontman
and main songwriter for that utterly generic
and uninspired long-running California melodic
punk band. On this album, his first solo full-length,
Joey drops the sophomoric attempts at humor
and brings us twelve mellow tunes about life's
laments as we get older and responsibilities
keep us from staying young. The chord progressions
are pretty standard but some of the vocal
melodies are pleasant enough to hold my interest.
As the record progresses, and the tempos and
the overall vibe stay relatively static, I
find myself wishing for something a bit more
energetic to come my way, but it's not happening.
This album could work well as background music
but I'm not finding it too engaging, musically
or lyrically. It's all just kind of there.
Lifeless. I suppose when you're used to playing
childish music to acne-faced teens in their
sweet new Hot Topic gear, toning things down
a bit and finding your inner adult would be
the most pleasing way to go on your solo record.
Earth
Crisis - Breed the Killers (iscreamrecords.com)
Here we have the reissued version of Earth
Crisis's debut record for heavyweight metal
label Roadrunner Records, updated with a new
mastering job and a couple of extra tracks.
It's been ten years since the original version
came out and when it did, I was already long
over this band as their forays deeper and
deeper into modern metal territory were losing
me quickly. I will always give them credit
for keeping their messages (animal rights,
environmental concerns, human rights) a focal
point as they marched into traditionally unfriendly
ground for such sloganeering, but I just wish
the music hadn't gotten so formulaic. Standard,
plodding riffing set under a monotone and
uninteresting growl is the norm throughout
the record, with the occasional melodic lead
dropped in from time to time. I like my metal
fast and ferocious and Earth Crisis have always
brought it mid-paced and long-winded. If you're
new to this band and interested in checking
them out I would suggest first seeking out
their "Destroy the Machines" LP
and "Firestorm" EP, a modern classic,
before picking this up.
La
Vieja Guardia - S/T (iscreamrecords.com)
This Spanish-language (maybe Portuguese?
maybe a more specific Spanish dialect?) band
from Miami plays speedy modern hardcore inspired
by the likes of later/current-era Sick Of
It All, Madball, and Agnostic Front, or what
I like to call "entry level hardcore",
for the kids picking up Epitaph Records samplers
at the Warped Tour. Apparently they feature
ex-members of Ignite, Slapshot, and the Vandals,
but I'm not recognizing any of them from their
pics in the layout, so I'd guess it was someone
who filled in for those bands on tours or
something along those lines. All of the lyrics
are in Spanish so I couldn't tell you what
they're singing about and I'll have to judge
this EP solely on the music. I gotta say,
it's a bit more interesting than anything
those above-mentioned bands have put out in
recent years. They keep it relatively fast
for the style so the energy is constantly
there. They do, however, use the cheat fast
beat at times which utilizes the double kick
pedal and that is a major pet peeve of mine.
Still, the guitar riffs aren't so standard
and they don't succumb to all the usual modern
hardcore cliches on every song, so I've gotta
say this isn't as bad as I thought it was
going to be and is actually a bit of a pleasant
surprise for me. Definitely check them out
if bands like Death Before Dishonor, Blood
For Blood, and those mentioned above are your
thing.
The
Welch Boys - Drinkin' Angry (iscreamrecords.com)
If you're familiar with bands like the Dropkick
Murphys, Blood For Blood, or the Ducky Boys
then you don't need to listen to this album
for more than 20 seconds before you realize
these guys are most likely from the same grimy
Boston streets, and in fact, they are. These
guys utilize the same gruffly sung vocals
over peppy rockin' punk with bridges full
of blazing solos and they do it well. I could
easily see them sharing beer-soaked stages
with bands like Street Dogs, Whiskey Rebels,
or the Briggs. The lyrics tread familiar ground
for the genre: drinkin', workin', lamenting
current government policies, police brutality,
fightin', being Irish, and more drinkin'.
Still, they come off as personal and sincere
and therefore worthy of the time spent writing
them. As trite as a lot of this subgenre of
punk has become, I've got a soft spot in my
heart for the pure fun of it all, and I don't
even drink. So raise your pints in the air
(mine's full of Coke) and stomp your boots
around the floor, the skinheads are havin'
some fun tonight.
Virgins
- Miscarriage (Kiss of Death)
Here we have the debut release from Florida's
newest rising stars, Virgins. This band is
the brainchild of Sam Johnson, formerly of
New Mexican Disaster Squad, and for some reason
I get the feeling that this is the band Sam
always wanted NMDS to be. It's got that rough
around the edges vibe of early 80s hardcore/punk
teamed up with what many would consider the
modern day Gainesville sound. Look to bands
like Dead To Me, Western Addiction, or parts
of Grabass Charlestons and Monikers for reference
points. It's smart without being overly intellectual.
It's topical without being preachy. It's catchy
without being too slick. It's a damn fine
debut, but I wouldn't expect less from such
seasoned folks. "We can spin the records
we hold dear, our motivation suddenly rings
clear, armageddon, thick and thin, these are
the last songs of a generation..." Exactly.
Interesting side note: Upon viewing the cover
art I immediately thought of Louisville bands
like Coliseum and Young Widows, and whaddaya
know, Chris Owens of Lords recorded the record.
