Archives for July 15, 2008

U.S. Bombs – We Are The Problem

July 15, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

‘We Are The Problem’ is the 2006 album release from the American punk rock band that is the U.S. Bombs. The album was released through People Like You Records and features fifteen tracks. For the most part the music is straight up punk rock here, there are however a couple of different tracks thrown into the mix for good measure also. I’ve never been a huge fan of the bands lead vocalist Duane Peters, I have however in the past been impressed with the instrumental work of the U.S. Bombs and as always the sound created by the band here is really quite instrumentally impressive.

The album opens with title track ‘We Are The Problem’, immediately you are struck by the bands really rather amateur vocal approach and this I feel is the main failing of the music here. Duane Peters is not a good singer, he’s also a professional skateboarder however and I think that it’s safe to say that the man is a far better skateboarder than he is or ever will be a vocalist. There’s just no passion behind the voice whatsoever here, no personality in the performance and therefore the vocal sound created here is really rather lacking. There are few times here when the vocals sound fairly reasonable, with such tracks as ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’, ‘Destroy the Nation’, and ‘Locked in My Skin’ the vocal tone taken is fairly adequate; even here however the vocal sound is not spectacular.

Instrumentally the sound created here is fairly basic, there is however some strong guitar work and excellent drumming showcased to keep you reasonably entertained. There’s not much variation in the instrumental department, it’s interesting enough though and if you can overlook the serious lack of imagination here then the album is really quite instrumentally enjoyable.

‘Heartbreak Motel’ is one of the few tracks here that does something a little different to the bands punk rock norm; the track is progressed by the sound of the piano, and lyrically here the issue of drug use/abuse is looked into. It’s not a serious track, the lyrics are quite fun, and although fairly boring to listen to musically; if you listen to the lyrics you’ll get far more out of this track than if you don’t. ‘Just Like You’ is another track from this album that’s a bit different; the sound is hard to define but it’s certainly a different sound to what is produced by the band for much of this album here. Vocally is where the main variation lies, something that does in fact benefit the band hugely as Duane Peters vocals here sound less lacklustre than ever. It’s not a great piece of music, the vocals are certainly more entertaining to listen to though and in my opinion this is a massive plus point about the track.

If you like the vocal tone of Duane Peters then I’m sure that you’ll love this album; personally I think the man has got a terrible voice though and with every passing track here the vocal drone just seems to get increasingly flatter. 38 minutes of music are contained within this album, pretty good value really for all major U.S. Bombs fans out there of the world; if you’re not already a U.S. Bombs enthusiast however then this will not be the album to convert you. This is punk rock music at its most basic and boring, it’s not exactly punk rock gold but this ‘We Are The Problem’ album does possess a couple of vaguely interesting tracks that should reasonably entertain.

Label: I Used To Fuck People Like You In Prison Records
Release Date: April 4th 2006

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Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

Make Me – It Only Hurts The First Time

July 15, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

‘It Only Hurts The First Time’ is the début album from the Californian band that is Make Me. The sound of Make Me is very hard to define; it’s keyboard pop music with a lofi edge and an indie rock twinge also; even this description is not entirely accurate however as although all these sounds can here be heard in the music of Make Me, a lot of others can too.

This ‘It Only Hurts The First Time’ release is a strange album with which Make Me put across many different opposing sounds, sounds that really shouldn’t go together, and it really sounds that way too. There’s often a horrible cacophony of noise here; out of tune vocals, upbeat synth pop keyboard sounds, and a more powerful rock guitar edge also. The music of Make Me most definitely is different, the problem is however that it just doesn’t work. Make Me is not a band that can be accused of following fashions, copying popular musical trends, or in fact sounding at all like any other artist on the planet; it can however be complained that the music is not very good as it just really isn’t.

Final track ‘Odysseus in Wichita’ is the best that this album has to offer; more of a straight up rock approach is taken here than at any other point on the album and this I feel is something that works out well for the band. It’s not a great track, at least the music is a little more bearable to listen to here however as the sound created here doesn’t come across so messily as with all the other eight tracks on this album. The best is saved until last here, and although it’s not great; it’s the one and only track from this album that I’d happily listen to again in the future.

The lyrics are intelligently thought out here, there is great depth to the lyrical aspect of the music of Make Me but because the instrumental/vocal sound is just so dreadful here the lyrical importance just really goes out the window. The lyrics are great, to get to the lyrics you must first listen to the bands horrendous sound however and this I feel is the biggest problem.

This is really quite a terrible début album from Make Me; there’s a high level of intelligence and lyrical depth here but the music itself really is just too weird and out there. The band is here doing many things at once, too many things at once in fact and the sound created here is therefore not too great to listen to at all. Many different musical influences are showcased here, ‘It Only Hurts The First Time’ is an extremely unpredictable album from Make Me and although not at all to my tastes; it certainly is very different. If you’re after something different then ‘It Only Hurts The First Time’ is an album which most definitely will provide that; the fact that the music is so different will however surely limit this bands potential fan base significantly. Make Me is an artist like no other out there and for this the band must surely be given credit; not too much credit mind as quite frankly this album is absolute utter rubbish.

Label: Plastic Head Music
Release Date: January 1st 2008

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Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

This Is Hell – Sundowning

July 15, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

‘Sundowning’ is the début full length release from the Long Island hardcore punk band that is This Is Hell. This Is Hell is not a band trying to reinvent the wheel with its sound, this album brings nothing new to its genre, what it is however is a hard hitting album of hardcore punk and one which always packs a hefty punch. Fifteen tracks feature here and the album has a total run time of just under 31 minutes; the tracks are short, the music is greatly powerful here however and always the bands sound has much to offer.

From first track ‘Retrospect’ right through to closing classic ‘Another Facade’ this album truly is brilliant. There’s not much variation here, none in fact; the album is strong though and although every track present on this album is incredibly stylistically similar the music most definitely has much to offer. The guitar work is excellent here, the vocals are brutally shouted, and always the drumbeats are absolutely excellent.

There’s a high level of aggression presented by the band throughout this album; the sound created here is instrumentally hard hitting and vocally powerful also. The tracks build well and there’s a lot of passionate anger which can here be heard in the vocal performance. If you’re a big fan of hardcore punk then you’ll have heard this sound done a thousand times before; This Is Hell is a band that does the hardcore punk genre proud however and although the sound created here is nothing too innovative, it’s most definitely an excellent album to listen to.

The hardcore punk sound is always here extremely well put across by the band, every vocal line is ferociously shouted and for a début album ‘Sundowning’ truly is incredibly impressive. This Is Hell is not a band that is doing anything particularly new, what this band is doing however is playing incredibly dark and excellent hardcore punk with great precision and power.

‘Sundowning’ is an album that all fans of hardcore punk should own in their collection; this will never go down in history as a classic, it is however a fantastic way for This Is Hell to introduce themselves as a band with a hardcore punk album of such high calibre. If you listen to a lot of hardcore punk then ‘Sundowning’ is an album that you should most definitely own, and I suggest you make the investment sooner rather than later also as I’m sure that this is one hardcore punk album that you shall be listening to an awful lot.

Label: Trustkill Records
Release Date: November 19th 2007

Rating:

Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.

City Sleeps – Not An Angel

July 15, 2008 by Rich Leave a Comment

City Sleeps is an alternative rock band from Atlanta, ‘Not An Angel’ is the bands début album and was released through Trustkill Records in November 2007. The band blends rock elements with post-hardcore tinges also, the sound created here is quite bouncy and melodic; the guitar work is strong and the bands choruses always are highly infectious. Thirteen tracks are present here and this therefore provides for forty minutes of music.

Although this album is fun and there is no denying that City Sleeps is a band that possesses great talent; I have one main complaint with this album in that the sound created here has been done a million times before. There are plentiful amounts of guitar hooks, the choruses are well sung out, and every track has an absolutely excellent melody; as you listen to this album you get a severe feeling of deja vu however as the bands sound really is extremely generic. The songs all sound fairly similar, all following the same melodic rock formula and therefore providing for a supremely unspectacular overall listening experience. It’s all been done before, and it’s been done better by other artists too. City Sleeps sound like a slightly more instrumentally hard hitting American version of Busted.

‘Just Another Day’ is I feel the best track that this album has to offer, it’s a strongly constructed musical piece in all areas and the guitar work most definitely is highly impressive here. The vocals are as excellent as ever and the chorus really has quite a bite about it which really is excellent to hear. This I believe is the best track of the bunch, all of the other songs sound pretty similar but this is the best one of the lot. ‘Bones’ is another hugely hard hitting crunching rock track from this album; the drumbeats are highly powerful and at times the vocal tone taken here escalates into a generic post-hardcore scream. The music of City Sleeps is highly contrived, it’s fun to listen to but nothing at all new.

The best way to describe the music of City Sleeps would definitely be to say that the vocal sound is very similar to that of Busted, and that the instrumental element is not too different either. The instrumental side of things is a little more powerful perhaps, the vocal performance isn’t however and if anything then Busted is actually the vocally edgier of the two artists.

If you like the idea of a not so impressive American Busted then this ‘Not An Angel’ album should be one that shall appeal. This is certainly no great album, the choruses are fun enough to sing along to however and the melodious nature of the music is always quite impressive. Busted’s ‘A Present For Everyone’ is an album which possesses an extremely similar sound, if given a choice between ‘A Present For Everyone’ and City Sleeps’s ‘Not An Angel’ however then I’d pick the Busted album every time without any hesitation whatsoever.

‘Not An Angel’ is an album which is worth listening to in full at least once, it’s not fantastic but if you listen to the album from start to finish then you’ll be able to pick out your favourite tracks and then in the future be able to ignore all the others. This emo tinged rock release is no genre defining album, it is however one that is fairly entertaining to listen to from time to time.

Label: Trustkill Records
Release Date: November 19th 2007

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Rich

UK based film graduate with a huge passion for music, sports and video games.