Monday, June 14, 2010

The Old Wives - "See You In Hell" review:


Rating: 4/5

25 minutes is about the length of your standard TV show. It's not a lot of time, but it's just enough to tell a good story. If a record could be the analogy to that, this one is. 25 minutes is just enough time for a great pop punk album. Alberta, Canada's Old Wives utilized that amount of time for its debut album, "See You In Hell" earlier this year. The band previously self-released a 7'' featuring "Shut Up" (which appears on the album) and b-side, "Losing All Control."

At the album's start, you're immersed up to your eyeballs in a very Queers-style fast, oddly-timed intro where everything sounds like it's already been going for about 10 seconds. After 10 seconds of rocking, lead singer/guitarist Liam Copeland starts "I Don't Wanna Be Lazy," a very Ramones-influenced tune with a little more pop thrown in there and a catchy little solo. The fourth track, "Teen Commandments," was featured on a soundtrack to a movie. I should know what movie. But I don't. And I can't find it online. Liam will tell me later.
"Old & Moldy" rests in the middle of the album and features a sweet guitar solo by Phillip Hill of the Teen Idols, who also recorded this album at Sonic Iguana Studios in Lafayette, IN. Copeland's vocals emulate Ben Weasel's in the sense that they're gritty, snotty and a little bit preachy at times but the album is a straight-up good time. The songs are pure rock n' roll, with none exceeding 3 minutes and they're all upbeat and fast, with no breaks in the album.

Check out the Old Wives at this year's Insubordination Fest in Baltimore, MD on June 2. They'll be playing the second "Canada" stage from 6 to 6:20 p.m.

TOP TRACK: "Bullshit"

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