Destroy All Music
Destroy All Music
April 30, 2005
By Denez McAdoo Staff Writer
Sum 41Chuck2004 Island Records(www.sum41.com)
On this latest release, Canadian imports Sum 41 prove themselves to be much more capable than the lot of Blink 182 clones (the word-number comparison is inevitable). Instead of maturing into the straight-faced moody introspection of Blink, Sum 41’s new album sees the band moving more into a decidedly tough-edged hardcore attack complete with meaty chugging riffs and gang vocals. This album also is coming out in the shadow of their recent trip to the war-torn Republic of the Congo, where in the middle of filming a documentary for the non-profit group War Child Canada, the band got caught in the middle of active fighting and a UN volunteer named Chuck Pelletier evacuated them to safety. As it says in the liner notes, “Chuck Rules!”
Blood BrothersCrimes2004 V2 Records(www.thebloodbrothers.com)
13 hefty slabs of hyperactive spaz-core from the Blood Brothers. Why out of all the bands from the late 90’s grinding noise-rock scene, this band was one of the first to score a major record deal, is beyond me. A better question might be why the majors had any financial interest in this brand of music in the first place. Arguably, the Blood Brother’s would have more commercial appeal than many of their contemporaries, coming off more along the lines of At The Drive-In than The Locust, if it weren’t for the dual vocals being a trade off between kind-of-annoying and really-annoying. They mix jittering guitar thrusts, non-sequitur rhythms, and cat-in-a-blender vocals with ultra pretentious lyrics and song titles (“Love Rhymes With Hideous Car Wreck” being an especially fine example), and even some cabaret elements. Whether or not there’re ready for prime time is yet to be seen, but the Blood Brothers are still rough-and-tumble enough to rock your asymmetrical haircut into a frenzy.
The Crystal MethodCommunity Service II2005 Ultra Records(www.ultrarecords.com)
I’m going to try to pretend that house isn’t completely dead to most every one outside of Western Europe and Eastern New Jersey, and attempt to give an objective review of this new album from these pioneers of techno producers-as-rock stars, who had their most famous hit with1997’s “Trip Like I Do.” I think, though, once the trip ends, so does the interest in this brand of redundant ecstasy fodder. If I was mean and jaded, I could review this album with just three words: douche-douche-douche. But since I’ve found Jesus, I’ll be nice and mention that the Crystal Method, along with most anyone else still hanging onto the electronica tag, have maintained the practice of trying to breath life into an otherwise lifeless genre by remixing the songs of yore that we all know and love. The Doors, Smashing Pumpkins, and New Order along with a number of more beat-friendly acts get a healthy dose of the Crystal Method treatment. Keep this music in the car commercials where it belongs.
