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The Rice Thresher
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Group Sounds On Group Sounds, the first new album by Rocket from the Crypt since they left Interscope Records, the band has noisily thrown off their major label trappings and reverted to their old-school screaming guitar onslaughts. The end result is a disappointing repetitive racket with only a few exceptional moments. Scream, Dracula, Scream and RFTC, the band's two previous albums, took a smooth amalgam of old-time rock and indie rock and gave it a harsh punky edge. This album completely forgoes the traditional rock influences and replaces them with a nonstop wall of noise. On tracks like "Spitting" and "Carne Voodoo," this aural assault is too much to stand, especially when the same guitar chords are repeated ad nauseam. The repetition found in other lackluster tracks such as "Return of the Liar" and "Savoir Faire" makes the album feel like a high-octane metronome - it'll keep you bopping, but you won't walk away remembering anything about the minimalist choruses. There are a few noteworthy songs, however. "Out of Control" crashes and bangs through a description of vocalist Speedo's personal hell while the powerful addition of a saxophone and trumpet hammer home the chorus. "Venom Venom," another highlight, starts off with a sinuous bass line, adds pounding drums and chanting vocals, and finally becomes a sort of powered-up snake charmer anthem. The biggest thing missing from this album is the musicality that made RFTC's previous releases so enjoyable. These songs have little structural similarity to the catchy rock songs of earlier albums, and they're just not memorable. The in-the-know clerk who sold me Group Sounds at my hip alternative record store claimed that this was the best RFTC album in years and that it would win over lots of new fans. But as far as I can tell, it will only appeal to hard-rocking speed addicts, and not to the sort of people who dug Scream, Dracula, Scream and RFTC. Rocket from the Crypt is still a black belt in the art of punked-up indie rock, but Group Sounds sorely lacks the musicality and catchiness of their previous releases. - Robert Reichle
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This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of: The Rice Thresher, Rice University MS-524, PO Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA. The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@listserv.rice.edu |
