Customer Reviews

22-20s

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a band that I have heard about for a while. I heard their EP a few months ago and it was okay and then easily forgotten. Now we have a full album and the story is different. Now I think that I know what people were reacting to. Some music just comes out good, when played right, that you don't have to fix or try to hard. Rock and Roll and Blues have been important music for almost 70 years now. Bands that get the blues, can't relate to what is supposed to be important pop music. The 22-20s are like many British bands, from Cream on, that have a fascination with the heaviness and power of the blues. Jet and The Datsuns have fizzled out for me. The 22-20s are the real deal. The Hiss where one band that made cool sounds. The 22-20s have taken over. Songs like "Devil In Me" and "Baby Brings Bad News" are great songs. The intensity of "22 Days" is impressive. They must be a good band to see and have a little party.

Nowadays I find it difficult to find much appeal in the music of a lot of bands. Catchy hooks and riffs, a danceable beat, etc. are fine, but I also look for something that moves me and makes me feel like it has staying power. In my opinion, the music of the 22-20s fits all of these categories. This is the first band I've heard come out of the U.K. since Radiohead that I think has the potential to have some staying power. Their music has been compared favorably with that of The Rolling Stones and The Doors, but I find that the 22-20s sound has more in common with a band like Cream or Aerosmith circa 1972 than with the first two bands. Most of the tracks are driven by powerful drum work and overlaid with plenty of distorted guitars and solid bass lines. This is music with passion and fire. This is a return to the days of the British blues explosion of the 1960s, but with a 21st century edge to it. If you like no-nonsense, balls-to-the-wall rock this is a CD for you. And if my recommendation isn't enough, consider this: The Black Crowes asked the 22-20s to open for them on a leg of their U.S. tour. That says a lot about the kind of music they play and kind of heart they bring to that music. Buy this disc!

22-20s' "22-20s" is an album that's very good at what it's meant to do - deliver some incredibly catchy albeit kind-of-forgettable tunes. These songs aren't interesting enough musically and lyrically to truly be worth your while, though - we at least know that they are capable of crafting very catchy hooks and grooves. So while tracks like "Devil In Me" and "22 Days" are incredibly catchy, they lack longevity. You WILL be satisfied if you got this album, but you won't LOVE it. The singer does a good job matching the band's style as his voice is rough enough for the garage rock sound. Lyrically the songs are usually subpar- "I got the devil...inside of me...inside of me..." is but one example of the lyrics that don't really say much of anything (you could argue that Talking Heads lyrics were also nonsensical, and this is true - they WERE, however, very original, funny, and fit the musical style perfectly). Sometimes, however, the lyrics DO have some meaning ("Shoot Your Gun" is an example). This album just does not have the pizazze of a White Stripes album, for example. It has SOME mass appeal which helps things. The saving grace for this album, and the reason it got 4.5 stars, is that, except for 2 songs, the ENTIRE album is good. Overall you will be pretty satisfied if you got this CD. Recommended.

Highlights include:
everything but "The Things That Lovers Do" and "I'm The One"

The 22-20s are another rock sensation from the UK. Discovered them at a festival called "Londen Calling" at the Paradiso in Amsterdam.
(where I also saw The Strokes, Kings of Leon, The Darkness, The Bravery, Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs before all of these bands scored
it bigtime). I thought they really sounded like Creedence Clearwater Revival, they got that 70s feel just right. Catchy riffs and a Great sounding organ. Standout tracks are "Devil in me", "Just a fool" and "the thing that lovers do". It has some weak moments (friends is kind of a filler track), but its pretty good for a debut, I think this band will grow, so I await their next release.

I first heard of these guys on the soundtrack to the Guy Ritchie film Rock `n' Roller - the number in question being Such A Fool. So being the sort of person who follows up such leads I found this album dirt cheap (postage cost more than the disc) and I'm quite glad that I did.

The style here is one of generic rock `n' roll with a range of speeds addressed, some rockers and some tasteful balladry and all sprinkled with some charming and interesting turns of phrase. The disc is well paced and shows some forethought regarding track listing and the production is clean and open. The spirit of the band shows through in these tunes and it would not surprise me to find that they are a hoot live. Martin Trimbles vocals are mid range and conversational/conspiratorial and there is a certain indefinable upbeat swing to the album as a whole making it a very good choice of background music either when alone or in a social context and one of the keywords in relation to this disc is consistency. Yep, you can play this sucker from beginning to end as even the less salient tracks aren't impolite with their second class citizen status, they are merely tunes that don't jump out and grab you.

All up I would heartily recommend this album if you are inclined towards honest rock `n' roll that is played earnestly but with a fun time quotient and produced with a clean and open style.

I fail to see what is bluesy about these guys except their name, they sound like any other english band. I gave the album a three and its not bad but its about a mile from anything blues related. get North Mississippi Allstars "Hill Country Revue" its what taking blues and making it into somthing modern really is.

These guys DO have a handle on the rock. Their ability to bring the rock shouldn't be questioned.