Walking Wounded
Artificial Beasts
Stonegarden
The first thing that struck me about Walking Wounded was the picture of the band on the back of the CD. There’s one gentleman in the band who looks eerily like Kim Thayil of Soundgarden! It’s spooky! Then I looked at the band’s label: “Stonegarden.” My God, Walking Wounded have contracted Soundgardenosis! AHHHH!!!
Anyway, Walking Wounded play alternative rock, a la Soul Asylum, with a tinge of Gin Blossoms. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I actually like those bands, so I liked Artificial Beasts. The band rocks throughout, throwing no curves, posing with very little pretension. The songs flow well, with the title track, “Thousand Mile Stare,” being the catchiest and best song on the album.
If I had to complain about anything, I guess it would be the subpar production. The drums sound flat, and the vocals are terribly done, with no reverb, which only draws attention to the fact that the guys in the band can’t really sing (sorry about that). Other than that, though, this is a pretty enjoyable piece of guilty pleasure: alternarock, circa 1994.
Stonegarden Records: http://www.stonegarden.com
