Customer Reviews

As I Survive The Suicide Bomber

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

 

 

Go buy a Jawbreaker record. These guys obviously did and fashioned their whole sound after them. In fact, it is such an incredibly lifelike resemblence that when I first heard it, I thought it WAS Jawbreaker. Influences are fine, but I can't listen to this without feeling sick at how not only the overall sound of the band, but all the little things that sound like jawbreaker. The guitar riffs, bass riffs, the vocal tone as well as the melodies. Right down to the jawbreaker-esque drum fills. Now, I know Jawbreaker isn't the most original band in the world, but they definitely have a unique sound that you can tell right off the bat that it's them. You might call it a "signature" sound. Slowride has blatantly gone ahead and created musical forgery. Its too bad, cuz they are awesome musicians, just not original enough for more than one star from me.

I know what you're thinking: it's a Foghat cover band! I was fooled, too. But after my initial depression and subsequent listenings of this album, I realized that this band is the second coming of Jawbreaker.

Oops, sorry. I didn't mean for you to knock your Mountain Dew onto your keyboard in shock when you read that. I'll wait while you clean it up.

All good? Okay. So there's this band, Slowride, right? They're a pop-punk trio from Dallas, TX. But there's oh-so-much more than meets the eye. This is a CD that deserves your full listening attention, otherwise you'll miss it. Imagine Jawbreaker, circa mid-90s, got a Radiohead-like burst of creativity and recorded 2 albums' worth of material. One, obviously, was "Dear You." So what happened to the other material? This would be it. Slowride summons the punk rock mantra of Blake Schwarzenbach, taking the smoke-3-packs-a-day style vocals made popular by him and throwing in some of the most elaborate 3-chord punk rock you've heard in a long time.

"I'm Everything Without You," "Rockets And Jets," "Montana," "Winter" - what do they have in common? All are power chord extravaganzas. This is the kind of angsty pop-punk you relish because you get a total body workout as you jump from playing air guitar to air drums during these songs. The band isn't immune to slower tempos, though, as most well shown in tracks like "Four Eyes," "Self Improvement: Lesson One," and "Money." In "Money" in particular, the band starts off with a pretty slow tempo to begin with then switch into the patented Jawbreaker half-time feel for the interlude before it gets kicked back up a notch to rock the rest of the song out. This is one of my favorite tracks on the CD, by far. There's even an inexplicably enjoyable hidden track involving a lot of beatboxing. While Jawbreaker never had that on one of their albums, it still works.

I know it sounds like I'm unabashedly praising them, but the band isn't perfect. The only thing is, there aren't any major fouls committed on this album that are worth mentioning. Slowride has put out a really solid punk album that deserves some recognition. If you're looking for a band to fill your Jawbreaker void, give these guys a chance.

Living proof that hard core bands inevitably mature, Slowride moved beyond its roots to create wonderfully simple driving rock. Although Slowride only has three members, their sound is remarkably well rounded. In addition to perfect guitar chords, the songs are augmented by catchy melodies. The songs are each unique and convey a wide range of musical talents. There is the blisteringly fast "Computer"; the driving, yet hummable "Montana", the plodding acoustic Foreyes; and the incomparable beatboxing showcase that is "Self Improvement Lesson One". The music begs to be played loud in the car, with the windows down crusing on an open stretch of highway. However, the lyrics could use some work. In "Foureyes", the they harmonically sing, "I don't like they way your acting now, I want to kill you but I don't know how." Or even more pathetic, "I'm no hero, a jenny jones zero." However, if you look past the song's words and instead concentrate on the melodies, the awesome power chords or the exceptional drumming, you have amazing listening experience.

I first heard Slowride on an Emo Diaries compilation and thought they were worth checking out. I wouldn't put Slowride strictly in the EMO category. The album is a solid effort from start to finish, with songs that you'll be singing along with in no time. They've managed to create a sound that is driving and melodic, and very reminiscent of something, but hard to pin down (think Face2Face mixed with some driving Foo Fighters, and even some JimmyEatWorld).