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The endearing attraction to a musician's first band is part music
nerdology, that urges us to cite the band Rick James and
Neil Young shared, and partly the pride of being on board
from the beginning of a great thing. It's exciting when you know
you're listening to musicians who learned to play specifically
for this project. It's great to hear that fresh energy that hasn't
yet learned all the rules it's breaking; to find that defiant
innocence still uncorrupted by the industry.
Doomed From The Start presents a half hour of first-time
thrills, nervous tension, a hunger for satisfaction and little
time for niceties. Any awkward fumbling is forgiven under the
heavy breathing, driving energy and scads of shouting. Guitarist/frontman
Colin Kutch sounds at times like Putrid Flowers'
John Buglione; that youthful gritty howl that doesn't stop
for breakage and has regard for key only as a passing acquaintance.
He addresses it as needed, but if he's in a rush out the door
there's a refreshing lack of obligation. The guitars have more
crunch than Kellogs, with plenty of sonic treats left in. Olga
Safronova provides a moveable beat and backup vocals.
These Bay Areans share an urgency of earlier punks, "Some
Things Never Change" pushes like a low-slung Naked Raygun
anthem, while "Misery" snags a riff from The Jam.
But the anger and angst feel genuine. An overblown sense of self
colors "Give Me Everything" with a sweet arena rock
chorus. Songs like "Single By Choice" and "Sexless
Existence" explore opposite sides of a dilemma with equal
vitriol (critic word.) An underlying sense of humor emerges in
"Wasting Life," "Sometimes I wish I were braindead/I'd
be happy all the time/ I'd be working all day without without
thinking/ wasting my whole life." No salve, no balm. It's
back to young, loud and snotty. Yeah, I remember this!
-Ewan Wadharmi
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