A GOOD REVIEW!
I'd like to first note that I paid under ten dollars for this CD, and that's always a plus in my book.
Shorthanded is pop punk band that is on Tooth and Nail Records. They don't sound like MxPx, they're much better. Yes, they actually have talent. I don't mean that to disrespect MxPx in any way, I just think this band possesses more musical talent. They're punk, but they have many break downs in their songs, which I think are always a plus in music. It's not just verse chorus verse, there are parts when it actually gets into guitar notes, bass solos and very soft spoken vocals, as opposed to the usual style of singing. This band reminds me of a cross between Ten Foot Pole and Samiam. I think they have the same kind of force and break downs as Ten Foot Pole, but they don't have the full straight out crunchy punk as TFP, they have a kind of lighter sound that resembles Samiam, even moreso in certain songs. But, don't get me wrong, it's an amazing combination. So, if you think the music side of it sounds good, you should check out the lyrics.
Most of the songs are about girls, which is no real surprise because that's what most songs are about on a whole. Some of the stand out songs are "Shut Up and Rock", which is very good advice for a lot of bands, and I really like the song "Doing Better". "Shut Up and Rock" has great lines about preachy music such as: "Can we become friends before you try to change me?" and "Yeah, I'm a listener, I've got an open mind. But I came here for the music, not to ease your guilt." "Doing Better" is by far my favorite song though, because it's just about being through with fucking up. It's about being tired of being tired and just wanting to do something right. I think it's a good positive song that I listen to almost every day now just to get myself out of bed. It's really good if you have someone you've been letting down lately- especially if that person is yourself- as the chorus says, "I want to do better. Cause it's what you deserve. And I owe it to you, I know."
The songs have a way of not being catchy, and it's really hard to kind of listen to this CD and start singing along after the first time you hear it. You have to listen to this CD a bunch of times, actually, to catch on to the words and what not. I know I did, any way. I don't think that's neccesarily a bad thing, but there might be some people who don't like it, as some of the songs tend to blend together.
Overall though, this CD is worth the money paid for it. I'd rather pay under ten bucks for this CD than $15 for the new Bad Religion.
Shorthanded is pop punk band that is on Tooth and Nail Records. They don't sound like MxPx, they're much better. Yes, they actually have talent. I don't mean that to disrespect MxPx in any way, I just think this band possesses more musical talent. They're punk, but they have many break downs in their songs, which I think are always a plus in music. It's not just verse chorus verse, there are parts when it actually gets into guitar notes, bass solos and very soft spoken vocals, as opposed to the usual style of singing. This band reminds me of a cross between Ten Foot Pole and Samiam. I think they have the same kind of force and break downs as Ten Foot Pole, but they don't have the full straight out crunchy punk as TFP, they have a kind of lighter sound that resembles Samiam, even moreso in certain songs. But, don't get me wrong, it's an amazing combination. So, if you think the music side of it sounds good, you should check out the lyrics.
Most of the songs are about girls, which is no real surprise because that's what most songs are about on a whole. Some of the stand out songs are "Shut Up and Rock", which is very good advice for a lot of bands, and I really like the song "Doing Better". "Shut Up and Rock" has great lines about preachy music such as: "Can we become friends before you try to change me?" and "Yeah, I'm a listener, I've got an open mind. But I came here for the music, not to ease your guilt." "Doing Better" is by far my favorite song though, because it's just about being through with fucking up. It's about being tired of being tired and just wanting to do something right. I think it's a good positive song that I listen to almost every day now just to get myself out of bed. It's really good if you have someone you've been letting down lately- especially if that person is yourself- as the chorus says, "I want to do better. Cause it's what you deserve. And I owe it to you, I know."
The songs have a way of not being catchy, and it's really hard to kind of listen to this CD and start singing along after the first time you hear it. You have to listen to this CD a bunch of times, actually, to catch on to the words and what not. I know I did, any way. I don't think that's neccesarily a bad thing, but there might be some people who don't like it, as some of the songs tend to blend together.
Overall though, this CD is worth the money paid for it. I'd rather pay under ten bucks for this CD than $15 for the new Bad Religion.