Harder

Kleveland | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 17, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: inmusicwetrust.com Records/Kleveland
• ASIN: B001FZB2ZG
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #391,025 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kick-a*s rock from Portland, OR, December 14, 2008

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Harder (Audio CD)

The melodic cascade of assertive words emanating from Kleveland singer/guitarist Stephanie Smith may remind you of Chrissie Hynde, but the band's manic guitar attack borrows more from the aggression of metal and punk than the Pretenders much managed after their debut album. There are echoes of other bands with female leads, such as X and the Alley Cats, but Kleveland rocks harder, as if the Runaways' chops had lived up to their ambitions, The Pandoras' detour into metal had been more musical, or punk rockers like Civet or the Distillers took a breath once in awhile to decimate the objects of their derision rather than just cuss at them. Smith may not have Pat Benetar's operatic range, but she's got the same ballsy Attitude, and unconstrained by the niceties of MTV it's something of a wash. It's hard to imagine a VJ introducing the vampire gore of "You're Not Sorry," with its stinging rebuke "You're not sorry you did it, you're sorry you got caught," or the acoustic "Sloppy Seconds" with its opening stanza "I'll admit that I was kind of upset, when I heard that you were out f'n my ex-, and the body wasn't even cold yet, but that don't bother you"). Kleveland quiets down on a couple of tracks, including the closing lament "It's Over," but it's loud guitar rock that's their calling card, combining the sonic punch of 1970s rock with the in-your-face confrontation of punk. Anyone else remember Sue Saad and the Next? Kleveland's heavier and more lyrically fierce, but the combination of rhythm guitars and assertive female vocals may take you back. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]