Short Round
Language
Asian Man
Upon slipping this baby in, images of late Face To Face, mid-career Bad Religion, and a slew of bands on Lookout! come to mind. This is fuel-driven power pop, with no qualms whatsoever about the complete lack of originality contained herein; I think that’s what makes Language so good, though. These guys know that they’re not reinventing the wheel, so rather than pretend to be something they’re not, they just rock out with full, unbridled force!
The album’s opener, “The Alcohol Talking,” sets the tone for Language; the guitars are fierce, the drums a bit low in the mix, the vocals VERY Greg Graffin, and bass guitar hidden. The vocal melodies are pleasant and welcoming, and the phrasing and method of vocal delivery is just plain great! I really like singer Jason’s voice! Through the rest of the record, the band wander in and out of ska, emo, math rock, and other sub-genres of punk rock, but the entire time the songs are being played in major keys with mid to up tempos.
I guess you could say a Short Round are what Blink-182 could be, if Blink had any bit of integrity in regards to music. Fans of Blink will go bananas over this, as will fans of Lagwagon, Pennywise, NOFX, Offspring, and other similar bands. This is a generic, yet very strong album: 8 of 10
Asain Man Records: http://www.asianmanrecords.com
