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How I Spent My Summer Vacation The Bouncing Souls |
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A sonic rip curl crashes through your speakers right from the get go, The Bouncing Souls, disturbing the airwaves with an immediate hyper-speed blitz… to say nothing of disturbing the peace, there'll be none for the duration of this one. "That Song" simply smokes you out with lightning speed precision, unbeknownst considering their usual melodic attributes and upbeat style which push further to the forefront on the happy go lucky faith-driven "Private Radio" and "True Believers" with the latter destined to become a summer-stage anthem for disenchanted youth looking for something positive to do with their fist. Definitely an anthemic battle-cry in the truest sense, harking back to the golden age of The Ramones in style, content and melodic sequence, here's a real keeper that should be immediate with Hard Radio programmers and mindful DJ's. Back to warp speed again for the next, "Better Life," and its probably as hopelessly romantic as they're liable to get here. Place 'em right out front with the likes of labelmates NOFX, The Descendants and 7 Seconds, coming at ya hard and fast but with plenty a catchy groove and sing along cruisers that often shoot against the swirling winds of pessimism and tumultuousness… It's well channeled aggression in the true spirit of freedom, fun and faith, all substance and for one of the few times we really hear the degree of influence an all-time classic like The Ramones could've had on a band such as this-"Better Life," "The Something Special," "Lifetime," all offer a glimpse of the playful side of Punk music, a vehicle often misused for personal vindication, and properly so in most cases but sometimes overlooking the fact that life's simple essentials lie at the core of the plug and pedal… Epitaph Records: http://www.epitaph.com/ Review by Vinnie Apicella
[va85@columbia.edu] |