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Casey Jones
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The Few, The Proud, The Crucial
Indianola Records
Release: 1/06/2004
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Rated:
Review by:
Matthew Nanes
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A lot of times people are turned off by straight-edge
hardcore because of it's penchant for the preachy and
militant. Jacksonville, Florida's Casey Jones (which features
current members of Evergreen Terrace) is well aware of
this. The cover art for The Few, The Proud, The
Crucial takes that as inspiration and depicts zombie
Confederate soldiers (there's an "X" in the flag, get it?) being
called to the battlefields. Whether you take it seriously or not
is another story, but upon listening to the record, you realize
they're just out to have fun - and while they're at it, write
some songs with a sense of humor.
You can tell this is going to be a different breed of record by
the sound bytes before most songs. Instead of spouting
propaganda like some hardcore records do, Casey Jones
takes audio tracks from "The Family Guy" and other comedic
references which make you chuckle, all the while making a
point. "C.G.I. 2k3" contains the funniest moment on the
album: as the music cuts and your typical hardcore group
shout-along begins, you figure out the group is screaming
"Oh my God!/Carl got laid!" Definitely a welcomed breathe of
fresh air for hardcore.
While the album has its moments where you know the band
is having fun, the album might mislead anyone merely
passing through the hardcore genre. Casey Jones balks at
fashion trends within the scene ("Know This X" and "Strike
Hard") and dedication to the straight-edge lifestyle ("Pain
101" and once again in "Know This X").
Musically, The Few, The Proud, The Crucial
doesn't have anything interesting to offer hardcore, save for
the tambourine in "Pigs Is Pigs," which was a weird, yet
welcome composition. The breakdowns are brutal, lyrics are
shouted, and at times get quite melodic while still bringin' the
pain without seeming soft (Lord knows we wouldn't want that
in our hardcore!). I found myself listening to a couple of
tracks over again after I was done with them, so I must
commend the band for writing memorable passages when
they feel like it.
Casey Jones bring a rare sense of humor to hardcore, but
overall, The Few, The Proud, The Crucial is an
inside joke most won't get while just window shopping for
hardcore bands. This is strictly for those who'll get it. It is
not a bad album, but like all jokes, chances are it will more
than likely go stale. |
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