This is an open forum for staff members, contributers, and fans alike to submit their reviews on the latest music releases and concerts. In an industry that is drowning with overprocessed, grossly overrated, unoriginal crap these days, this is our chance to allow the real stars to shine, if only on our humble, little stage; and expose you to some of our favorite talents.
Reviews are given 1 - 5 stars.
1 Soft Smoke
2 Saturday Nite Riot
3 Modern Swinger
4 Hollywood Fix
5 LIttle Razorblade
6 Back To The Middle
7 Nobody Baby
8 Hey Jane
9 Still Three Shy
10 Adalae
11 Easy Way Out
12 Pretend That This Is Fiction
13 Secret Song
Prior to this CD landing on my desk, I can honestly say that I had never heard of The Pink Spiders before. The only pink spider I knew of was the drink - raspberry soda mixed with ice cream! Yes I am from the land down under and sometimes bands escape from under our radar, so please forgive me! (sung in my best Bryan Adams karoake voice)
So what’s a person to do to get a bit of quick background info these days....yes Myspace of course. So onto Myspace I hop and see that these guys have 80,000 friends, not bad I think and 800,000 views, wow, so they are not just going around adding adult models who never visit the page… And what’s more, these guys really are PINK, I mean look at their lovely PINK page, sweaters and shirts.... So enough of that, to my suprise these guys hail from Nashville, had Ric Ocasek from The Cars produce the album and are signed to Geffen! Not a bad start lads, not bad at all....
With great anticipation I press play and within the first 30 seconds up went the volume and out came the air guitar. The lead track “Soft Smoke” typifies The Pink Spiders sound - 3 minute pop rock punk guitar fuelled hooky songs about girls, touring, cigarettes, partying, girls and more girls, haha. Speaking of girls, it took me a short while, but I can’t help but think of The Donna’s when the guitar riffing of “Soft Smoke” blasts from the speakers. “Saturday Nite Riot” easily one of the catchiest songs on the CD brings in the obvious Cheap Trick influences and showcases the band’s knack for writing catchy as hell pop tunes. “Hollywood Fix” with it’s cool almost rockabilly swagger, talks tales of stolen cigarrettes and bring’ in the sounds of 80’s pop - hummable guitar solo’s, yeah gotta love those, do do do, do do doo doo doo doo.....
The single “Little Razorblade” is catchy enough, but it’s tracks such as “Back To The Middle” and “Nobody Baby” where the band really shines, drawing upon the sounds of the 60’s and 70’s (Buddy Holly, Rolling Stones and New York Dolls immediately springing to mind), but mixing with a fresh 00’s vibe. “Hey Jane” sees the pace drop with the vocals of Matt Friction sounding hauntingly like the husky tones of Jakob Dylan from The Wallflowers. The piano swagger of “Adalae” sees The Beatles in bed with Jellyfish and Ben Folds Five. Hey I digress I know, but wasn’t Adalae the housekeeper from Differen’t Strokes???
Lyrically, the band claims “the record inventories the impulsiveness of summer road trips, the apathy of youth and testosterone-fueled fun” and this is certainly the case, with a good dose of humour thrown in, my favourite lyric being this little ditty from “Modern Swinger” - “yeah my babys pretty as a car crash, subtle as a splinter, yeah my babys smooth as sandpaper warm just like the winter”.
While “Teenage Graffitti” won’t win any awards for originality, what you can be sure of from start to finish is a toe tapping, sing-a-long, bopping good time. You can catch them doin what they do on the Warped Tour of the USA this summer.
Reviewed by: Scott Smith | July 2006
