Review Archive: T

Unleashed  

Now that Scott (previous Ten Foot Pole singer) has left the band to pitch for the Dodgers (although he does sing for Pulley), I guess I can't jokingly call them Ten Foot Athlete. No matter. Guitarist Dennis has stepped up to the mic and does a good job. Unfortunately, what's done here has been done before (and better) — energetic pop-punk, personal lyrics, the whole deal. By no means am I saying that Unleashed is a bad record — "It's Not Me" and "Denial", for example, are good songs. It's just that in this world filled with power pop/pop-punk bands, TFP isn't near the top of the heap.

Factory Showroom  

TMBG have finally taken their first step backwards: after making albums that got better each time, they've broken their string. It's not what I expected from Them. The first song (and single — I can't believe that chose to releasethis song) is the terrible "S-E-X-X-Y", funky and complete with 70's disco strings. After listening to the entire album, it comes down to the difference between the Johns: Linnell's songs are the best ones on the album, though John F. does have a few good songs: one, "New York City", is a Cub cover; another, "I Can Hear You", is a fantastic, funny, extremely lo-fi little song recorded sans electricity on an 1898 Edison wax cylinder. Their reworking of "James K. Polk", one of my favorite TMBG songs, is inferior to the original. However, there are still a bunch of good songs — including "Spiraling Shape", "Till My Head Falls Off", and "Metal Detector" — that make Factory Showroom worth owning.

Viewers Like You   

I didn't feel like Viewers Like You fully delivered like Tilt has in the past. Their latest is probably harder than their past two albums, but not as catchy or poppy as them (I don't know if there's a direct connection there or not). They lyrics are positive and/or thought-provoking, though the delivery method differs between songs: "Die of Shame", where a pregnant teen dies from a self-performed abortion attempt, is obviously serious; the anti-racist "Mama's Little Man" has a sillier tune to it. Good for Tilt for trying new areas rather than playing it safe and releasing another Play Cell, but sometimes it doesn't totally work out for me.

D.L.T.B.G.Y.D.  

The Toasters were the first "real" ska band I ever really got into, and New York Fever was (and still is) one of my favorite ska albums. However, since then, the Toasters have had disappointing albums (with the exception of their Live in L.A. EP); they've had some good songs each record, but overall they lacked the consistency of NYF. But their latest, Don't Let the Bastards Grind You Down, is a much-needed (and welcomed) good album. Although not every song is a winner, at least 13 of these 17 tracks are definite keepers. Found on the album are the usual upbeat Toasters songs ("Everything You Said Has Been a Lie", a remake of "Weekend in L.A.", and the title track) and smooth instrumentals ("Big Red", "Jackie Chan"). But they also bring in some other styles including rocksteady and 50's rock & roll; "Woyay" is a damn fun and entertaining reggae/rock song. It's good to see that the band that played a major part in ska's revival is still going strong and making quality music.

Anthems from the Alleyway  

This sounds nothing like any previous Total Chaos album; they now have more of a Clash sound to them because most of the band left and the new guitarist wrote most of the songs. The result is good (because I like this style of punk) but if you liked past Total Chaos you're out of luck — there's no similaries between then and now except the band name and the haircuts. Anthems from the Alleyway is good, but I think they should've at least changed their name to Total Rancid or Swingin' Chaos...

Listener  

This really impressed me. The first 50-second track gave me the impression that Two Line Filler is a slow, emotional, indie rock/punk band (possibly in the realm of SDRE or Texas is the Reason). Track 2, "Angerly," gives a truer picture to their sound: faster, simple, still indie rock and punk, and not without emotion and energy. The songs are short and fast (13 tracks in under half an hour), but it's not your typical pop punk; I could try to make comparisons, but I probably still wouldn't get it quite right. You'll just have to trust me on this oneL Listener is definitely worth looking into.