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Freshkills
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Creeps And Lovers
Arclight Records
Release: 5/30/2006
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Rated:
Review by:
Chas Hoppe
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It's really funny what "influences" you hear when listening to a band, because it really depends on your age, and what you were exposed to growing up. For example, the Freshkills have been compared to Bauhaus, Drive Like Jehu, Fugazi and At the Drive-In, but I've either never heard those bands, or really didn't enjoy them (except for At the Drive-In, they're cool). Anyway, when I listened to this record I heard Queens of the Stone Age, with a bass guitar reminiscent of Nirvana in the days of Bleach. I hear the loose drumming style of Handsome (a descendant of Helmet that no one ever listened to), and the hard rock texturing that Sunny Day Real Estate hinted at in Diary, but never really followed through on.
Yet despite this difference in comparisons, I think we can all agree this is a rockin' good disc. Vocalist Zachary Lipez does an impressive job navigating us through this crashing maze with a very stylized voice. Lipez has the kind of voice that still sounds good when it's out of key, because it sounds deliberate and fits the tune.
Drummer Jim Paradise's skillful drumming is loose and aggressive, and always appropriate. It is the perfect foil for the huge sound the trio of Tim Murray (guitar), Johnny Rauberts (guitar), and Bill Miller (bass) are able to produce.
While the record's sparse nine songs may be disappointing to some, it clocks in just under 40 minutes and contains absolutely no fillers. Other than that, there isn't much more to say. This is down, dirty, get-drunk-and-rock-out-in-a-small-club rock with great ambition, and with a lot of potential for growth. It will be interesting to see what happens to the Freshkills as their reputation starts to grow outside of New York, where they currently reside. Here's to the future. |
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