For those who don't know, especially if you're not American, Mark McGrath is the leading face of alternative pop rockers, Sugar Ray, famous for such hits as Fly, When It's Over and, my first introduction to the band back in '99, the radio smash Every Morning. I remember the latter hit but didn't actually like it at the time. A little later on in life, I discovered that the band had heavier beginnings with the likes of Lemonade and Brownies, which is still one of my favourite albums. As well as still touring with Sugar Ray, McGrath has essentially established himself as a very pretty man over the years. His looks (and, yeh ok, his personality, too) helped him get into TV presenting, including Killer Karaoke, and acting, including Shaknado 2. I'm unsure if the latter is much to be praised for.
This year, McGrath has dropped his FIRST EVER solo offering in the form of the Summertime's Coming EP. For anyone familiar with Sugar Ray, this is actually not too much of a stretch from their sound. In a similar way to Gwen Stefani's solo work, McGrath has gone down the route of his band's more poppy and sunny anthems to produce a five song summer soundtrack.
There's been many an act who have released summer anthems and it has either made them or broke them. Canadians LEN, another favourite of mine, made a name for themselves out of nowhere with the poptastic smash hit Steal My Sunshine, despite being initially an alt rock and shoegaze influenced band. On the other hand, saxophone wielding hardcore punk outfit Dog Eat Dog (looove theeeem) had the song Summertime on their Walk With Me album. Via it's music video on Youtube, the band got ridiculed for having "sold out" and having generally made a "shit song". (I like it.) Seeing as Sugar Ray, like LEN and also bands like Smashmouth, made their muller out of songs to cruise beside the beach to, these songs on here should be no real surprise to dedicated fans and I for one am not all that disappointed on the whole.
Opening song, title track and leading single (I think?), Summertime's Coming, gets you in a barbecue mood right from the start. We've got happy acoustic guitar strumming, a laid back hip hop beat, hand clapping, lahs, ohs and a catchy as hell chorus. Out of all the sunny pop songs that Sugar Ray has ever done, and maybe that anyone ever did, this has to be the most formulaic song to date. This doesn't mean that it's bad. It might be cliche and, to some, even cheesy, but, damn, it's uplifting. That "Summertime's coming, lala lala" chorus is totally infectious. Upon research, this song has actually been in Sugar Ray's live repertoire since 2013 when they were working on new songs. This begs the question: Why has this come out as a McGrath solo track and not on a brand new Sugar Ray album? Also, why is there no new Sugar Ray album? Are there band issues right now?
Last track, It's Always Sunny, has the same vibe as the first song. It starts off as if it is going to be old fashioned and doo wop-like, but then it becomes happy and upbeat with a chorus you might end up singing for days afterwards. What The World Needs and Again and Again have more of a reggae/ska flavour that, for some reason, just don't get me all that pumped. They're both beautiful with a sweet sentiment. What The World Needs sort of reminds me of NOFX's pure reggae/ska version of Rancid's Radio; it has that same sort of pace and the same joyous sing-along, but really just seems cheesy in comparison. It's heavily Marley influenced, even incorporating the "woy yoy yoy" melody of Buffalo Soldier (or it could be the Banana Splits theme tune) near the end of the song. Again and Again has more of a 311 (great band) feel about it but the kind of 311 that I tend to not like so much. Just a little too slow and, frankly, a tad boring. It's nice and chill and would be great to lie in the sun to but could easily put you to sleep. The guitar parts add a little Santana feel but the song generally lacks power most of the time.
Ease My Mind is somewhere between the two styles; the bouncy alt pop with a hip hop beat and the slow pop reggae. It's slow and chilled with a bit of a Latin vibe. The hip hop rhythm and the vocal melodies work well together to make it another sunshiny hit. I am almost certain that there is also a deliberate nod to Green Day as McGrath sings line like "It all comes back to you.." in the style of "It all keeps adding up..." from Basket Case. Could be coincidental, but it's a BIG coincidence.
If you've ever liked Sugar Ray, or similar acts like Smashmouth, LEN or Fastball, and, of course, if you simply like Mark McGrath, this is worth checking out and is definitely great for a sunny day. Personally, I would have liked to have seen more effort put into a new Sugar Ray album as opposed to this EP. At least three of the five songs here would have worked just as well on an album amongst more rocky numbers; a mix that always pleases me when done right. I hope there technically still is a band right now...
3/5
After a lot of hard work playing shows and writing new material, Tel Aviv rock trio The Driers finally deliver new EP, See You In Never, featuring latest drummer Ben (Mad Choice/Zaga Zaga/a bunch of other stuff).
As readers of my blog will already know, I have seen this band a bunch of times and enjoy their refreshing slab of 90s style alt. rock. The five tracks on this EP are all songs that I recognise and love. If I am not mistaken, these are also songs which have been in the band's repertoire for quite some time. Whereas some of the newer material I've heard in live shows are a little bit more along the Weezer style of alternative rock, the songs here could almost be considered pop rock.
Contagious gets things off to a heavy start. Some thumping drums in the intro lead to an upbeat, rock-out number with a bouncy chorus. Although guitarist Ronnie sings the first verse, from thereon in we hear the now trademark sweet harmonies that her and bassist Tomer do so perfectly. Ronnie also sings main vocals for second track Who Doesn't and fourth track Porchlight. Who Doesn't is pure rock in the choruses but, due to Ben's drumming techniques, explores other rhythms and styles throughout the song. Porchlight sounds incredibly lighthearted and quite poppy. The intro is one of my favourites of theirs, as the opening guitar riff is soon accompanied by the bass that harmonises beautifully. The song can easily be mistaken as a cover of some sort of song by Shangri Las or even The Supremes, as it has a hint of that traditional style of writing plus an easy listening quality to it.
Tomer takes up main vocal duties on third track Lipstick Buds and EP closer A.L.A.R.M, which makes sense, as they are both pretty bass led. Because of the bassline and the groovy drumming, both songs have quite an electronic/new wave sound to them. Lipstick Buds has it mainly in the first verse which then leads to the hard hitting chorus of "You want to be my never again". All Driers' choruses are easy to sing along to but this has to be the catchiest of them all. The song has interesting vocal melodies and a generally fun and uptempo nature.
A.L.A.R.M could be considered the EP's party song due to it's disco beat in the chorus. However, Tomer's vocals and the song's lyrical content add dark undertones, making the song a little bit edgier than the rest of the EP.
As I have heard these songs many times before, I was really hoping to hear something new on this EP. Luckily, we are promised a full length soon which will hopefully have some cool surprises. I love the band's use of harmonies, especially blending both a female and male voice together, similar to bands like Band of Skulls and Spiderbait. That, plus the musicianship and songwriting, make these songs very enjoyable, as long as you appreciate pop sensibilities in rock music....which I do.
4/5
Back in December, I went to a show at the Koro to see three bands I had never heard of before. One of them was the young band Jeronimo. I was impressed by these guys' rock riffs and energy that I even put them on the first Punkalovich show, which unfortunately they had to pull out of because of personal issues. The band are back on track again and released their long awaited self titled EP.
Opening track, Aircraft Boneyard, starts off heavy and quite epic. Drummer Itamar's spacious fills over guitar feedback followed by a tribal rhythm tell us that we're expecting something big. We're then hit with a cool riff that leads us into full throttle mode similar to the likes of Kyuss et al. I definitely remember this as one of the ones I liked when I saw them. The chorus is catchy and will have you singing "THEY'LL BRING YOU DOWN" along with them. However, the song feels like it is a little bit longer than it needs to be. The mid-section and solo in particular feel like they could have been cut short. It is all well-played, though. Next track, Scratch, has that similar hard hitting feel. The opening riff is reminiscent of something you might hear in a Disturbed song. Don't get me wrong...the song itself sounds nothing like Disturbed. That's just the best comparison I can come up with for that riff. The song itself is pretty rocking but the vocals bug me a tiny bit. I'm not expecting Israeli bands to sound exactly like American or British bands but when an accent is a little bit too strong, it can throw me off a little bit. Guitarists and vocalists Auriya and Yonatan share singing duties throughout the record and it's at the beginning of this track that the Israeli accent really shines through.
Torch Torture takes the tempo down a bit. Compared to the first two tracks, it has more of a Alt. Rock vibe. It slowly dawned on me that it sounds a little bit like Kool Thing (Sonic Youth) only a fair bit slower. What really sticks out on this track, possibly due to the weird mixing of the EP in general, is the bass playing. Throughout the song, and especially in the chorus, bassist Eilon does some pretty crazy runs which sound great. The track really picks up near the end when the band turn up the volume a bit more for a heavy instrumental section before rocking out on the final chorus. Next track Jeronimo is, I guess, almost meant to be the band's theme song. This is definitely one of the main songs that got people moving at their shows (when there were people). It runs on a bit of a repetitive riff throughout a good part of it but we do get a break in the song which builds to a continuous proclamation of "JERONIMO".
Stabbing Sound comes across as something heavily influenced by the British Invasion of the 60s. It has a simple yet rocking main riff and a catchy chorus. Final track Zero Kills' riff has Queens Of The Stone Age written all over it, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. With Auriya's raw vocals, the song takes on a more grunge feel. There is some wonderful musicianship all round from the middle part right up to the end.
As I already knew from their live shows, Jeronimo are very competent musicians but some of the songs sometimes feel like their lacking something. It could be because of the accents, the tempo being too slow on some tracks, or how certain instruments and vocals sound too high or even too low in the mix...but whatever it is, the EP is still enjoyable. In a way, the flaws do give it a raw quality. The overall subject matter of the EP is still a little bit lost on me, however that doesn't necessarily spoil the enjoyment. Musically, Aircraft Boneyard is my favourite, with the emotional chorus of "You feel OK" and instrumental finish on Zero Kills making it the stand out track.
3.5/5
Sweatshop Boys are beginning to become more and more important in the Israeli punk scene and hopefully in the punk world in general. Consisting mostly of Haifa boys including Ofri (ex-Friday Night Sissy Fight/Barren Hope), Dean (ex-Friday Night Sissy Fight) and Itai (The Orions, The Backliners, Achim Zabari, Kuskus Records), the band also includes singing drummer and powerhouse that is Nadav (Mondo Gecko, Spit, Shifka Chiefs, Brutal Assault, Uzbecks...help if I've left something out!)
Although not what everyone may consider "punk rock", the band do know how to write catchy as hell songs about things that matter to them. Their first album, The Great Depression, really helped demonstrate the Sweatshop Boys sound and this latest EP very much continues to do the same. All four songs are songs I recognise from shows because they are just so damn memorable.
The EP starts off with No Pity In The City, a pogotastic anthem about moving to a big city but with no real changes. Second track, Special Mood, takes the pace down a bit with an almost 60s beat-music era jangly pop sound, equipped with organ solo and a rhythm that will have you toe-tapping away. Try Hard, again on a bit of a 60s tip but punkier, is a simple and to the point song about "wannabe scene queens" with its intoxicating "You're not special at all Ahhhh" refrain. The funny thing about writing songs of this topic is that it could be describing people who actually come to your shows. Therefore, it is remarkably ironic when you see someone at their show who has forced themselves to learn the lyrics and stand right at the front, making sure to be heard. I think that's what I love about it, whether intentional or not. Last track, Slow Dive, leans off the social commentary a bit and instead focuses on a positive message about taking life easy. The band informs us that "Sometimes you got to let it go" and instruct us to "go with the flow." Good advice, there, my friends! All songs have this fun vibe about them, almost definitely due to how everyone in the band gets a chance to sing and sing together, making everything sound more anthemic.
I kind of remember somewhere near the start of the band's career that I didn't really pay all that much attention to them. I wasn't really keen on the Pet Shop Boys influenced name (I used to like the Pet Shop Boys) and I found it all a bit too "jingle jangly", for want of a term. Whether the band itself has improved or my musical tastes have broadened, this new EP is a beautiful record and I hope to hear another full length later on in the year full of more catchy twist-inducing tunes.
4/5
Sweatshop Boys play a free show tomorrow night, Sunday 8th March, at BuXa in Tel Aviv.
For any readers over in mainland Europe or who will be there in the next month or so, you can catch Sweatshop Boys on tour across France and Germany:
Metal band Relics hail from Huddersfield in Yorkshire (pr. yaaarksheeer), UK. For those who don't know where that is, it's halfway between Manchester and Leeds. For those who don't exactly know where that is, look at a map. (It's what I had to do. Haven't been that far north of Sheffield in some years.)
First things first, the artwork of the Beast Market EP really grabs you. The whole concept of beast, skulls and other weird things plus the drawing style itself makes you hope that what you're going to hear is heavy as hell. They also self proclaim that they love "riffs". And that....that they've got.
Opening track Death By Lead definitely helps set the tone. We start with distortion leading into thumping snares and toms and are then met with rung out guitars and the rough exclamation of the titular DEEEEEATH......BYYYY.....LEEEAAAD. And then it begins....the riffs. Heavy hitting verses that, like all good stoner, make you want to bang your head and throw horns. The vocalist is very reminiscent of Ben Ward (Orange Goblin) and even Phil Anselmo (Pantera/Down/Superjoint Ritual/everything else he's done) in places.
All 3 songs on the EP provide the riffs we are promised "on the tin". These guys understand both riffs, groove and the importance of diversity. As similar as the vocalist is to the aforementioned frontmen, he does it flawlessly. I especially love him in 3rd track The Circus. There is the powerfully sung "LOOOOSER"and the Fantomas/Maximum The Hormone style ramblings of...whatever the hell he's saying at that point. It sounds amazing, whatever it is. There's even a "gangstyle" chant in this song, which, in my experience, you don't really get in much stoner. Then again, these guys don't even consider themselves "stoner". They describe themselves as "metal, riff, rock and roll, punk and hardcore". Rock and roll is a definite yes. This is "heavy rock and roll" and I'm totally down with that. Anyone else who is will love this too.
4.5/5
