The Ratchets
Glory Bound
Pirates Press
The Ratchets listen to The Clash… a lot. From the sound of their debut full-length, Glory Bound, they listened to nothing but London Calling for the entire songwriting process. This is not to say that these guys from New Jersey have achieved anywhere near the prowess of Joe Strummer and Mick Jones; however, the influence is undeniable –and better executed than most. Even their two vocalist (Jed Engine and Zak Kaplan) sound like the men from “the only band that matters.”
In songs drenched in reggae, like the superb “Skyjack Sunday Starts” (a song about a terrorist hijacking a plane), The Ratchets acheive their most Clash-like moments. Strangely, immediately following this peak moment of musical achievement, “Don’t Wanna Go” slips into folky, light-hearted, almost emo territory. Skipping forward, “Cathedral Bells” has ska rhythms and Rancid vocals, and the closing track, “Born Wrong,” is like Springsteen doing Journey.
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The Ratchets refuse to be pigeon-holed, I’ll give them that. Each song is a different record.
The Ratchets: http://www.theratchets.com
