Customer Reviews

Shorter Faster Louder

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

 

 

Man...this album rules. If you never got a chance to see this band live (I didn't), don't buy this record because it'll make you kick yourself for not ever going to one of their shows. I can't really compare "Shorter Faster Louder" with the first release because they are both so good, and similar. A lot of the songs are short and fast (no suprise) and are over in less than a minute. There's one cover (try to figure the words out; impossible) and a few guest singers. I was suprised at the political content of a few songs from such a fun band. I mean nothing too deep, but they touch on a few issues like police brutality. If you like the frist album and the split with 88FL then you should definately pick this up. If it took reading this review to convince you of that, something's wrong. Late.

The first s/t release was a classic and well recieved kick in hardcore and punk's yarbles. This release is not as defining as the first one but simply because it is (no suprise) shorter,faster, and louder. 18, yes 18, songs and not one dud. The first song packs the wallop that carries the ent ire record. Get all Kid Dynamites stuff as it is all top of the line and they are sadly no more.

Kid Dynamite is probably one of the best bands to come out of the Hardcore Punk scene in the nineties. As the title suggests, their songs are short, loud and fast. With the guitar and bass compliment each other well, and Jason Shevchuk's vocals are honestly my favorite of the Punk Genre. If you're into "punk" bands like Green Day I bet you wouldn't like these guys but if you enjoyed Rise Against's Early albums (Revolutions Per Minute/The Unraveling) or you're into the Melodic Hardcore scene this band is definitely one to check out!

Wow. Kid Dynamite, like Avail, is something of a guilty pleasure for an "old school" punk like me. But this album is too good for me to ignore. It hits all the things I like about melodic hardcore/emo without being whiny or poppy, plus it's got serious muscle! Like 7 Seconds meets Avail meets Sick of it All. Some tracks are misses, notably "Troy's Bucket" (I think that's the one). Speaking of which, bands like KD seem to get a kick out of using stupid song titles. That precludes them from five stars in and of itself. Yeah, I'm a fascist, so sue me. But seriously, this is quite an album. The stand out tracks are incredible. And they know who Token Entry is. So I say kudos!

For all you KD lovers out there, this is a CD to own. There are several great songs on this album that 'ill make it well worth purchasing. There are a few songs that are a bit more "poppy" then there first album (a bit, not a Blink), S.O.S., Living Daylights, ect. it is still a great CD especially like S.O.S.-track 15!

Very cool stuff. Goes from rippin' 80's hardcore to more poppy-sounds in a blink of an eye, but without sounding either sugary or overly tough. Also, it may be noted that these guys could be serious contenders along with A.C and Zeke in a short-song competition: these 18 songs clock in at just under 25 minutes.

In answer to the album's title: Yes, Maybe, and No. The first question, is it shorter? The new effort by the now defunct Kid Dynamite clocks in at 24:49, with 18 tracks. Their first release was a whopping 27:06 and 19 tracks, so yes, it is shorter, but one has to wonder that if they added another song, it might equal or surpass their first album. The next question, is it faster? Well, some points certainly are faster than their older stuff, with the new album having it's share of under 30-second songs [and one is only 10 seconds!]. But at other points, the album gets as slow as this band really can get, and shades of old Lifetime peek through. Some of it even reminds me of the Suicide Machines, circa-"Battle Hymns." So is it faster? Yes and no.

And as for the last question, it really isn't louder than it's predecessor. I played both at the same volume on my computer, and the first one seemed just to have more raw power in it. Maybe the new album is overproduced, maybe Dan lost his touch a little bit, maybe the band knew they were calling it quits so they didn't put everything into recording SFL. Regardless, even though it is not quite as good as their self-titled CD, SFL holds it's own with some of the other hardcore heavyweights out there, and is a must-own if you're a fan [like I have to tell you that]. Now that they're broken up, maybe we can all get the Lifetime reunion we all secretly want...

Heisel is an idiot to say such a thing. Dan will never lose his touch, as he is now just as if not more rockin than he ever was. dont try and talk about the Philly scene from illinois buddy, you dont know a thing