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Written by GE 138.  Skate Rock? WTF? Who the Hell still carries that flag proudly over their heads while getting intoxicated and pulling off no comply 180's in the empty pool? Cerebral Ballzy, that's who! Coming from straight out of the big, bad, New Yaawk Punk scene, Cerebral Ballzy have never been shy about wearing their influences on their sleeves, because every song they play you'd swear you've heard somewhere before. They've always let it be known that they were weaned on all the classic So Cal Punk music that they could get their stoned hands on, mixed with a good amount of N.Y.H.C. sound and sensibilities. The combination is perfect, and I love this band, although I'm confused as to why they aren't bigger and more well known that most of the drivel that's passing itself off as "Punk" these days, but oh well. Your loss. This CD, called Jaded & Faded, is a lot less hectic than their first self-titled release, and indeed does seem to embrace a more chilled out, laid back vibe about it. Production's quite a bit different on this release as well. Big studio sound quality for a shitty little Punk Rock band. They went in a more JFA melodic kind of direction with this album, as opposed to a more brash, in your face Municipal Waste kind of sound. Don't get me wrong; songs like Speed Wobbles evoke the spirit of early Bad Brains just as well as anything, and vocalist Honor is still trying to sound like Stiv Bators when he sings, which isn't a bad thing per se, but still, it's kind of... weird? Odd? Disconcerting? to hear such a blatant rip off of Stiv's vocal style and sound. Meh. At least someone's doing it, which is better than nobody doing it. This album got a bit boring towards the end. Maybe I wasn't stoned enough? Maybe too stoned? I dunno. I lost interest and went back to watching Simpsons DVD's. Although not as good as their first release, Jaded & Faded from Cerebral Ballzy finds the band stretching out a bit musically, maturing and growing and testing things out, like all good bands do, and I'm looking forward to see what kind of sound their next release is going to bring. Check this CD out. You might like it. :-) Available wherever mass market music is sold as the cheap commodity that it is, places like Amazon, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Zody's, and Gemco, but I bet you can't buy this release at any skate shop anywhere in the country. ;-) "Like" Cerebral Ballzy on Facebook by clicking here and become their Friend and yada yada yada.
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Written by GE 138.  ha ha ha ha ha You gotta love the fact that the U.K. Subs have carried on with an idea that at the time 40 years ago seemed almost impossible to live up to but here it is, years later, and the U.K. Subs have lived up to their promise to release an album that starts with every letter of the alphabet, starting off with 1979's Another Kind Of Blues, and carrying on right up to this years 'Y' release, Yellow Leader. Can't wait to see what their next 'Z' release is going to be... lol Gawd bless ya Charlie Harper! 70 years young and still carrying on with it. Brilliant!! Anyways, this latest release from this seminal British Punk band sounds just as good as 2013's XXIV, same people playing on it might have something to do with that, and the band is more melodic than angry nowadays, as most songs on here are real hooky, big shouted out choruses, played at a leisurely pace that befits a gentleman of Mr. Harper's age, although a few songs like Heathens and Sick Velveteen pick things up to a pretty fast PFR pace. And just let me be the first to say how great Charlie's voice sounds. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for that ol' geezer, and he sounds in tip-top shape on here. Guitar work is pretty good too, nothing mind blowing, nice tone, and the bass thuds and rumbles and punctuates everything as it should. The U.K. Subs have never been a band to have a flashy Drummer, and the kid playing on this album is a real, sit in the pocket kind of guy. Not a bad thing, it's just what it is. Some pretty good songs on here - Prime Evil, Chemical, all the songs I already mentioned, and I could of done without the Beardcore song though (Rebellion Song) - just saying. ;-) Yeah, the U.K. Subs are one of those Legendary bands that deserve every accolade and word of praised heaped upon them, Lord knows they've earned it, and although Yellow Leader isn't the best album they've ever done, it's certainly not the worst one they've ever done either. Big cheers to the U.K. Subs for being the incredible institution and make sure you see them when they play The Dive bar on June 13th with The Civilians. Woo Hoo!! Available from Captain Oi Records, which you can go to by clicking here. You can purchase the album from them by clicking here. The colored vinyl is selling out as fast as they can press them up, so grab one if you get the chance. It's also available digitally on iTunes by clicking here. It's also available on Amazon by clicking here. "Like" the U.K. Subs on Facebook by clicking here. |
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March 2022
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