The Suicide Machines
Steal This Record
Hollywood
The opening cut/single starts off with some ominous minor chords and a huge pickslide down into some dark lyrics, then the chorus breaks in with a much more major-chord poppy sound, almost Weezer-like. Interesting combination. It recurs throughout the album, sometimes alternating between songs, the second cut being dark hardcore, the third starting with chiming guitars that sound like power pop, then kicking into straight-ahead punk rock with a cool bridge that has hey-hey-heys between the vocal line. This is a complex record that refuses to be put into a single category, and I like that. Includes a rocked up version of R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World as We Know It.” A mature record from a band that’s survived a decade. (Note: Though earlier releases have incorporated ska, only one song here is in that vein.) Me like.
Hollywood Records, 500 South Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521; http://www.hollywoodrecords.com, http://www.thesuicidemachines.com
