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I'm sorry, but the vocalist for this band just annoys the crap
out of me, which is a damn shame because the music is excellent.
Somewhere between a Social Distortion and Rancid amalgamation,
Go Like Hell features ass kicking rock-n-roll backings
with a quasi-punk sentiment that does not lack the energy required
to stay up all night drinking and bring down the house.
The music is relentless as the drummer sustains an incredible
momentum, pounding through the songs, allowing for the guitar
and bass to ebb in and out of the space creating a perfect mix.
The guitar lines are nicely balanced against each other, showing
smart choices as lead and rhythm separate for quick bursts and
then reunite to crunch through beefy main lines. The bass guitar
is apt, but more of a follower in the melee than a leader.
The vocals are not my cup of tea; she yells with appropriate
determination, but in an almost tone-deaf one-dimensional pitch
across the entire album, only differentiated by alternating rhythms
between songs. You know its pretty sad as a listener when you
think the backing vocals add more to the song, and in addition,
pray the next song contains them. While I have it out for the
lead singer, I do have to admit some of her vocals lines did stick
in my head, so she can't be all that bad.
The most punk the band becomes are with their lyrics; they show
the correct amount of cynicism and bite, while maintaining the
greaser/white-trash feel of the music. "13 Cents" is
a brutally accurate reflection of the homeless guy on the corner,
and "Dead Man's Hand" lyrically could have been written
by any decent punk band out there. Nice job. Now if I could get
over my aversion to the lead singer maybe I could deal with such
wanna-be-punk statements like her half-hearted "Yeah/I know
I'm an asshole" at the end of "Lucky Me". Punk
is not a cry for attention.
What else can I say, I loved the music and wished one of the
backup vocalists would take over the main responsibilities. I
guess it could be worse though; she could come over to my house
and quote-unquote sing to me.
-bishop
Track listing:
1) Lucky Me
2) Los Bastardos
3) 13 Cents
4) Quick Jerkin'
5) Feedbags and Fistfights
6) Eat My Dust
7) Hotter Than Love
8) Go Like Hell
9) Blindsided
10) Hell to Pay
11) Dead Mans Hand
12) Acute Denial
13) Take a Letter Maria
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