Screeching Weasel released a new album. You know what's awesome about reviewing this? I'm guaranteed to enjoy it at least a little bit and I don't really have to TELL you anything about Screeching Weasel. Everyone already listens to them or at least knows who they are. I mean, have you ever been to a punk show without somebody there having a giant Screeching Weasel patch on their jacket? Not likely. So, gang, let's find out what Ben Weasel, Dan Vapid, and the boys are up to this week!
The album starts off with a song called "Separation of Church and Skate". Okay, it's really called "Follow Your Leaders" and is lyrically similar to that NOFX song about how punk has changed, and how they're "not your father's rock n roll band." If this song is a harbinger for things to come, then we're in store for a pretty sweet record. This is of course supported by the next songs being fun, cute songs that thankfully sound nothing like The Riverdales (a band that sucks (joking)). Ben Weasel has this rough, yet childish trademark pop punk voice that so many people have been borrowing since the beginning of time (the beginning of time being like 1986).
While a lot of these songs are just the straight-up ramonescore pop-punk style you're already expecting from these guys (you know, the same thing The Queers do), there's still other songs that are a bit more special than that shit. Like, "Dry Is The Desert" is definitely a pop punk song, but it's also composed differently and has this weird aura throughout. I don't really know what aura means, but in this case it means some sort of keyboard tone thing and backup vocals. It's a really cool song and the longest on the album, finishing at 2 minues and 45 seconds.
Okay, now I'm forced to recall reading at some point in time. Ben Weasel wrote a review of The Steinways' album Missed the Boat where he talked about how Grath Madden came up with catchy hooks and a funny line, and then just ended the song after getting it out of the way. And Ben thought he would've benefited from turning it into a full song, and that the record would've been better from it. Something about Grath confining himself too strictly within the walls of pop punk. Halfway through the record, I can go ahead and say that Weasel is doing nothing to break down these walls, and is basically doing exactly what he told Madden to do, other than the straying from form. There's nice hooks, nice lyrics, and nice little leads...and then multiple verses and whatnot. But it's still the same thing, it just takes up more time. It's not like it's some sort of burden or anything, because it's all really enjoyable. I just don't think they're going to do anything in the last half of this record to make me think they're anything other than a pop-punk band sticking to code.
That being said, I really like this record. Songs like "Three Lonely Days" and "Friday Night Nation" may be very easy defined as simply pop punk, but the instrumentals are as solid as ever, the lyrics are as enjoyable as it gets when it's not something Grath Madden wrote, and there's a really cool guitar solo at the end of the latter song. It's followed by "All Over Town", which has a very snotty sound to the vocals, and is of course more of the same, though. It's nothing special, I just wanted to mention that the vocals sound really cool in it. Actually, there's also a really cool guitar duet type thing that happens midway through, so there's that too. These guys are really rad instrumentally, and it makes the album that much more worth your time. There's a guitar solo in every song, though. I swear. It's no longer worth mentioning when one occurs.
Most of these songs sound the same. It's unforunate, but true. I mean, this won't bother any of their diehard fans, because they're used to it by now with all their other favorite bands, but I do have to mention it here at some point. The album closer "Little Big Man" isn't even really worth mentioning other than for the fact that it's the final similar sounding song on a decent album. It's a solid effort, I guess. I kind of lost the excitement I had at the beginning of the listening experience due to how much of the listening experience felt exactly the same. But, as background music, the songs will get stuck in your head and you'll know all the words the next time they play at your town's version of the Madison Theater for almost 20 bucks.
-Idle
You call this type of music "The Queers style" and say that the Riverdales suck. Clearly you either don't know who the Ramones are or don't like them. Someday you'll figure it out, kid.
ReplyDeleteWho are the Ramones? My name must be Patrick Star because I live under a rock! :D
ReplyDeleteOkay, so my point in referring to it as Queers style music, is that The Queers made it known that their style of music is basically just keeping Ramonescore alive, and honestly I should've just called Screeching Weasel a ramonescore band, because they're ramone to the bone, but I think of them as Queers styled since they basically just jumped on and did the same thing The Queers did. I love both bands, but I don't actually like the Ramones all too much.
ReplyDeleteThat's fair. But that's kind of weird since both those bands are basically following the blueprint the Ramones made and perfected. So you like the imitators and not the originators. I'm not knocking the Queers or S.W., I love them both myself. And you're certainly entitled to like whatever you want. I'm just saying it's a little odd. It's like saying you're not a big Beatles fan, but damn those Monkees sure are great.
ReplyDeleteHa, yeah. I see what you mean. Thanks for reading the review, though dude. The feedback is seriously appreciated. I'm new to reviewing and sometimes speak in a way I understand, then I realize I left people out in my lack of logic.
ReplyDeleteNo problem man. I do the same thing when I type, except I can come across as being a dick when I am saying it all with a smile. So, don't take any of this stuff the wrong way. Keep up the good work. Music reviews are hard to make and keep entertaining and you're doing a great job of it.
ReplyDeleteThanks dude. I'm going to work on adding more detail about the past of the more important bands in these reviews. I mean, I really didn't even mention ramonescore once when reviewing a band that released a ramones cover album...I need to pay more attention to what I'm writing.
ReplyDeleteYou're a fag. Ramonescore? You dumb bitch, you can suck my dick.
ReplyDeleteI love you too, anon.
ReplyDelete