Guilty Faces – Domestic Bliss

Guilty Faces follow up their seven inch and demo with an L.P. that brings a welcome dose of melodic hardcore punk. For the most part these songs are mid paced with fairly clean guitar tones that alternate between driving rhythm parts to catchy leads. In this sense they could be compared to Shattered Faith, Channel 3, or the Subhumans (Canada) though it's not especially apparent that these bands are in the roster of their influences. Perhaps these melodic sensibilities are more inspired by the Wipers, Adolescents, or mid era Replacements. Regardless of where they're getting it from these songs rock and Guilty Faces are definitely doing a great job of breaking away from the generic sounds that so many bands fall into.

The lyrics generally talk about every day internal struggles that guys in their mid twenties go through, fighting boredom and trying to create an adult identity. There's no political posturing or goofy party songs about pizza and skateboards. Some of the best songs are "Glass Bullets," "No Point At All," and "Hollowed Out," all of which displaying the band's outstanding guitar dynamic and singer Tommy Perkins' cutting vocal delivery.

Guilty Faces have again managed to put out a great record that sticks out for outstanding musicianship and a unique sound.


Band MySpace: www.myspace.com/guiltyfaces
 

 

-Ditch-
Big Wheel Online Magazine

 

                                           Go HERE to see all the latest record reviews reviews

 

 

 

 

Northern Towns – Good As Gold

It's not hard to imagine Northern Towns providing the soundtrack for a movie about late 1970's/early 1980's skinhead and mod culture in England. "Good As Gold" captures the catchy dance beats of the Jam and connects it with the piss and vinegar of Sham and the Cockney Rejects. If they really wanted to pull one over on the public the guys in Northern Towns could probably convince a lot of people that their music is actually a lost gem that was intended to be released in 1979 but never got put out because a prominent member of the band was killed in a soccer riot gone awry. While their music is decidedly nostalgic it's actually surprising that no band has actually really done exactly what they are doing. What is even more surprising is that they are from San Diego and not Manchester though that can mostly be explained by the fact that their singer, Daniel Sant (previously of the straight edge Over My Dead Body) spent his youth in England.

The first side of "Good As Gold" consists of songs from Northern Towns' 2008 demo and the first few notes of the opening track, "Latchford" have a a Gang Of Four vibe. From there on in the record alternates between Maximum R&B dance music and all out skinhead aggro. The lyrics mostly reflect Sant's memories of growing up in England and can best be summed up in a few lines from "Latchford" where he states "Back when I was a kid/When Thatcher was hated for all she did/We kept our noses clean/And the fields were still green." "Changing Of The Guard" talks about being a little kid and seeing mods and skinhead in the neighborhood and looking up to them. "Dead Waves Make No Sound" is peppered with references to the Jam and the Clash and talks about how a lack of substance in today's music in comparison to the excitement found in early Punk rock.

It seems that Northern Towns have been playing pretty regularly in San Diego, but haven't played much outside of that area. There's no doubt that they could definitely hold their own just about anywhere as "Good As Gold" is just as the title suggests absolutely brilliant. The band has recently also released a split with Sharks that is also on Swagger City Records. Hopefully this marks a trend and maybe we'll even see Northern Towns travel more. It would be quite satisfying to see this band blow up.


Band MySpace: www.myspace.com/northerntowns
 

 

-Ditch-
Big Wheel Online Magazine

 

                                           Go HERE to see all the latest record reviews reviews

 

 

 

 

Bad Manners – Max Splodge – at The Warehouse – Aberdeen, UK

Tonight we take in the Annual Christmas  show  with Bad Manners, Max Splodge, at The Warehouse.

Max Splodge (front man for Splodgenessabounds) plays what is known as Punk Pathetique that involves humor and working class cultural themes. Using some of Bad Manners as his band he is very entertaining and brings a slice of Punk rock to tonight’s proceedings.. Singing “2 Little Boys” “Hurry Up Harry” and finishes of with his hit “2 Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps Please”.

Bad Manners come on and play an instrumental till Buster comes on with his traditional leopard suit and shouts “This is Ska” and the show has begun, with Buster singing with his trademark sticking out of his tongue.

We are given 75 minutes of Ska and loads of dancing. “Fatty Fatty” where Buster rubs his stomach with glee, never more someone so proud to be of a larger size. “Special Brew” has me dancing away as it is one of my fave songs. “Sally Brown” is another favorite with the crowd.
And the set finishes off with the "Can can" with everyone going home very happy.

 

 

-Dod M.-
Big Wheel Overseas Correspondent

 

More photos of the event can be seen HERE

 
                                          Go HERE to see all the latest show reviews

 

 

 

The Gaslight Anthem – The 59 Sound

I’m going to get this part out of the way; there are obvious comparisons one can draw between The Boss and The Gaslight Anthem – songs jam-packed full of blue collar, do or die, salt of the earth stories as well as that from-the-heart vocal work – but I’m sure you’ve heard all of that before (right?).

Instead, I’m going to focus on a slightly different fact: The Gaslight Anthem – which combines the rock and roll aesthetic of Social Distortion, emotional vulnerability of Jimmy Eat World and the aforementioned qualities of Bruce Springsteen – are an encapsulation of what makes American music great. The Europeans have their melodic tendencies and waif-like bodies to get them through. Us, well, we have our work ethic and D.I.Y. mentality that gets poured into the tunes we craft.

Upon listening to The ’59 Sound you can’t help but believe that these guys would have your back in a bar fight and still be charming enough to meet your grandparents. So strap on your Chuck Taylor’s, your most worn blue jeans and leather jacket; the new working class rock band has arrived at exactly the right time. America needs a new musical hero and The Gaslight Anthem is exactly that.

 

Captain Morgan
Big Wheel Music Contributor
 

 

 

 

Music from the Used Record Bin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flogging Molly – Alive Behind the Green Door

I’ve never been a big fan of live albums, mostly because I’d rather experience the real thing in person. There are only a couple of exceptions to this rule: Nine Inch Nails - Live: and All that Could Have Been, Depeche Mode – 101, Morphine – Bootleg: Detroit and Metallica – S&M (there are also a couple of live tracks on The Essential Iron Maiden that aren’t bad); but for the most part I don’t seek these out for my library. Alive Behind the Green Door, on the other hand, is a necessity as it was the only remaining piece from Flogging Molly’s discography I didn’t have.

All of that is beside the point as you probably don’t care. ANYWAY, Alive Behind the Green Door was recorded with virtually no budget and may as well be a bootleg. The quality is weak, there’s no one accurately running the sound board and you can’t escape the senseless babble of the crowd or clinking of glasses. However, what it wreaks of is all that makes Flogging Molly so great –captured in its purest form- raw, emotional, (no pun intended) alive and soaked in whiskey and sweat. The unpolished aural attack is a welcome distraction from the sheen that is glossed onto so many other sub-par live performances. I especially love the fact that Alive ... features some of the bands’ earliest incarnations of their later songs: “Laura” and “Between a Man and a Woman”. Suffice it to say, if you’ve never seen Flogging Molly live, this is an indicator of what you’ll expect when you finally do (and believe me, you will).

 

Captain Morgan
Big Wheel Music Contributor
 

 

 

 

Music from the Used Record Bin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Julie Ruin – Self Titled Release

People either love or hate the Riot Grrrl scene. With that being said, no matter if you like or dislike the genre, you have to respect this album. Originally released in 1997, I received the album from my older cousin on Thanksgiving Day when I was about 14 years old (around 2006). He knew how much I liked Bikini Kill, Le Tigre and Kathleen Hanna, so he told me to listen to "Julie Ruin", the alter-ego of Hanna. I expected the blood curling screams that Hanna put forth with Bikini Kill, yet I was surprised to discover that Ruin sang catchy, pop techno that could be classified under new age 80's tunes. Not to say that this is a bad thing, in fact, it throws people off from the Kathleen Hanna the world knows from Bikini Kill and lets her branch off as "Julie Ruin", the Madonna-esque singer, that still contains all the intelligence, anger and irony that is forever embedded into Hanna's bloodstream. One of the most impressive factors of "Julie Ruin" is not only Hanna's ability to be diverse, but the fact that this album was made entirely in Hanna's apartment; mainly her bedroom using four-track and eight-track machines, cheap samplers, and a keyboard. With this equipment surrounding her, she produces golden tracks such as the anti-cop rant "I Wanna Know What Love Is", the dance song "A Place Called Won't Be There", and the thoughtful and hip-hop styled "Radical or Pro-Parental". Although most of this album strays away from the punk image Hanna obtained throughout the years, she comes back for a mere 2 minutes and 7 seconds for "The Punk Singer"; a commentary on the punk subculture. "Julie Ruin" is charming, witty, and as pointed as Hanna is; which is something everyone can enjoy, or at least, appreciate.

 

-Sarah K.-
Music scene reporter
Big Wheel Online Magazine
 

 

 

 

Music from the Used Record Bin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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