Wednesday, November 23, 2011

REVIEWS

THE AMERICAN HEIST:Self-titled: LP
The American Heist from Houston is my kind of band. They’re definitely firmly planted in their punk-as-fuck roots, but they also aren’t afraid to borrow from folk music traditions. They remind me a lot of Hudson Falcons, but with slightly harsher vocals. From the maroon vinyl and super cool bank robbery cover art on down, this LP is a labor of love. There’s no heist going on here, as these guys are doing all of us a favor by putting out a record. You can line up seven of your average dwarf oi bands and six would be called “dopey.” The last band standing is called The American Heist. –Art Ettinger (RAZORCAKE)
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Street punk meets the Confederacy Of Scum meets LEATHERFACE whilst all attending a BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN concert. This is solid, it sounds like a brick wall and looks like a brick wall. A big beefy, pumped up sound, matched by killer hooks, gruff heartfelt vocals and some serious rock'n'roll riffage not seen since the much missed GC5. It should sound cheesy, but somehow, maybe due to the sheer honesty and non-contrived toughness, it comes out 100% authentic. Straight to the point lyrics dealing with war, street life and growing up, almost taking a leaf out of the STEVE EARLE hard knock school of writing. Fuck Oi!, this is the real thing. Brilliant. -Sean Dougan (MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL) 

HANGOUTS, THE:
A.D.D. Generation: 7”
You might remember this band from their split with Something Fierce last year. The Hangouts are a mid-tempo punk band from this college station Texas with a female-fronted vocalist who takes major cues from Cherie Currie, Debbie Harry, and Dinah Cancer, but, at the same time, doesn’t sound exactly like any of them. Musically, the band is taking a page out of the Ramones sound book, pure and simple. There are six songs here, with the title track being the obvious standout. –Mark Twistworthy (RAZORCAKE)

RATTUS:
Invades the USA: 7”
I’m not the biggest fan of live recordings, but this is one of those exceptions. People not in the know, Rattus is one of Finland’s famous original punk bands. They formed in 1978 but became world renown during the international punk explosion of the early ‘80s. These songs were recorded live on a radio show on WFMU in New Jersey back in 2004. If I remember correctly, this tour was only routed through the East Coast. It’s five songs of classic Finnish punk rock that is very distinctive in sound. It’s a good starting point if you don’t want to pay collector prices on some of their original releases. It’s also a nice addition to the collector who has it all. Co-release with Psycho Wolf, Motorchest, and Cutthroat. –Donofthedead (RAZORCAKE)

WRONG ONES:
Deceiver: LP
The Wrong Ones play fairly strong, catchy, hard-rockin’ punk that reminds me of that first Catheters LP from about a decade ago. The inference being that there is a whole lotta Dead Boys style action to be found on this full length album. Not as glam punky as I hoped from the band photo/album cover, but a good record nonetheless. The band is from Houston and may have an Urgencies member in the ranks. Looking forward to hearing more and seeing what the Wrong Ones come up with in the future. –Mike Frame (RAZORCAKE)