Secret
Lives of the Freemasons - Weekend Warrior
(Victory Records)
This is the kind of band that you want to
root for. You just know that they're driving
around in some beat up van, and playing in
some pretty dark clubs. Lives of the Freemasons
deliver these songs with the kind of passion
that only true believers can sum up. The lead
singer unleashes a mighty yowl over big guitar
riffs, and the drummer propels the band forward
while remaining sympathetic to the songs.
This band is all about doing the fundamentals,
and doing them well. The producer has done
a good job of harnessing the power of the
band, and there's no doubt that these 12 songs
must sound great live! The Who-like drum and
guitar flourishes of "Feel Like Home"
will induce some serious air guitar playing.
"Mascara" is like an endless hot
riff, and the bass is deployed more up front
to great effect. So go ahead, root for The
Secret Lives of the Freemasons. We need all
the authentic, hard working bands that we
can find. And the fact that they can write
really catchy, three-minute plus anthems doesn't
hurt either.- Phil Rainone
What
Happened? – “Cropkiller”
EP (Buxton Records)
There's been an upward swing in recent years
in the brand of punk rock that incorporates
emo with what I call "barking dog vocals"
(Catch 22 did a cool parody a few years ago
on "No Respect for the Roadie."
Just inane, nonsense baking vocals over a
solid guitar riff). But Philadelphia’s
What Happened? takes a different approach.
First, they come up with good lyrics, than
they add an honest, urgent punk rock beat.
Sounds easy, but the band's approach on this
two song EP adds big heapings of melody that
are raw and well balanced. "Philip Seymour
Awesome" and "Take it All Away"
are listener-friendly and sing-along ready.
Certainly meant to try to break new ground
in the punk rock world, this is a solid (although
short) set of songs that you'll remember,
and want to tell your friends about.- Phil
Rainone
CD Reviews 
