Daycare Swindlers
Heathen Radio
Go Kart
Having had the pleasure of reviewing Daycare Swindlers’ last release, In Loving Memory, I was really looking forward to their latest release, Heathen Radio. An anticipation that was somewhat unwarranted. Where their last release showed a mature band willing to stretch out more fully into the limits of punk rock, this release shows them retreating into a standard and predictable set of samey sounding hardcore. I’ll grant you that hardcore is a legitimate genre for any band to explore, but it’s also a bit of a one trick pony, a stage on the way, and certainly not a style to explore for an entire career. Which, of course, makes this latest release by the Daycare Swindlers largely incomprehensible. Consisting of twelve tracks that clock in just under a twenty minutes, the album is a blisteringly fast collection that ends before it nearly begins.
The trademark signatures that separate Daycare Swindlers from he rest of the pack of the hardcore bands are still present. Noticeably, the rhythm section that propels the band forward and the interplay of slashing guitars that range from buzz saw riffs to Stooges-inspired melodies. Of course, the secret weapon remains their Mohawk sporting lead singer, Noah. Probably one of the best singers working the fringe and margins of DC inspired hardcore. And yet, the magic that marked In Loving Memory is noticeably absent. This is still an inspired performance but one that barely raises them above the countless other bands mining the same territory. At worst, it=EDs a step back and at best they’re treading water. From their Web site, I gather they’re getting ready to head back into the studio, let’s hope their next release finds them picking up where they left off.
Go Kart Records: http://www.gokartrecords.com
