Hey! Don’t most bands that leave or get kicked off major labels go to Fat Wreck Chords instead of the other way around? Are these guys popular enough to get a major label offer after only three full lengths? The people at Fat are wonderful and I know their bookkeeping is on the up and up. I would figure an indie pays a better per-unit royalty than the major. Distribution couldn’t be the answer. Well, I wasn’t there so I would assume it sounded good to them. I don’t know if this is flying off the shelves, but this might be the one that breaks the camel’s back. I don’t know if they have the appeal to the masses to become successful. I remember when Schleprock went major and they disappeared after that. I think I was one of the few that liked that record. Here I am and I like this CD more than their previous material. At first, the mix was a bit annoying. The bass and drums are super loud in the 60hz and below range. I’m a music geek, so I have a pretty decent sound system in my car. The bass that pours through the woofers make me sound like I am listening to hip hop when you hear it outside the car. Waves of sound push and pull inside my car. The more I listened to the CD, I got what they were going after. Now when I listen to other music, I have to turn up the bass settings to capture the same sound. Musically, being removed from an indie title, they seem to be more adventurous. I would compare it to AFI’s latest record. It’s more of a rock sound with noticeably improved musicianship. I even dig the acoustic song “Swing Life Away.” I’ve turned a few friends who like a little bit of punk on to this CD. They seemed real receptive to the music. So I wish the band luck and hope they get the support they were looking for. If not, I hope they don’t give it up because they are a good band.
–don (Geffen)