CD Reviews

Trainwreck Riders -

WHERE THE NEON TURNS TO WOOD
Rating: 4/5

I can't remember the last time a really great punk-country/country-punk record was released. It's a genre that seemingly hasn't broke beyond cult bands like the Meat Puppets and Uncle Tupelo-a sound that's rarely attempted and rarely done well. With their new record, Where the Neon Turns to Wood, San Francisco's Trainwreck Riders remind the world that there is a better world beyond the bland pop-country that characterizes CMT.

Trainwreck Riders favor a rollicking, sunburned sensibility that, while seemingly out of character for a San Francisco band, ends up making perfect sense to the listener.

Vocalists Pete and Andrew have voices with a genuinely ragged, weary quality that suits the rustic instrumentation provided by their own guitars and the rhythm section of drummer Steve and bass player Forrest.

"Old Fashion'd Man" holds a particularly memorable melody and an insightful contrast between the hope of a promising relationship and the consolation sought in alcohol ("Well you slow-moving man/You're passing out again as those stars and bars fall around your head"). Its lyrical citation of Bernal Hill gives a sense of place to music that doesn't sound even remotely like it came from the Bay Area. "Seven by Seven" is another delight: its gingerly distorted arpeggios bound along in breezy road-trip fashion to end in lovely finger-picked acoustic guitar.

Where the Neon Turns to Wood is a wonderful album: nicely mixed, deep in sincerity, and deserving of substantial attention. One can only hope that this band will improve on what's already a strong vision.

Michael Harkin

Abi Yoyos -

THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME
Rating: 3/5

A recent show at the Café du Nord in San Francisco saw the Abi Yoyos forge ahead with a show despite the singer getting scratched up in a car accident a few days before. In a cavalier display of enthusiasm, Shawn Mehrens donned a pirate's eye patch, and the band played with only slightly less fervor than they normally would.

The passion for making music evident in that show emerges in the debut seven-inch single from this Mill Valley band. This World is Not My Home shows a fairly new punk band defying traditionalist song conventions and doing so in truly exciting fashion.

Political without being grating, these four songs promise only good things from this group. "Usufruct" condemns governmental greed in an abrasive but catchy manner and "Xenophobia," the only truly verse-chorus-verse tune on the record questions blind condemnation of people that look different.

Side B begins with "Fuck the U.N.," which pointedly satirizes the Bush administration's dismissal of the authority asserted by the United Nations. Vocalist Shawn Mehrens' voice is tailor-made for straight-up screaming hardcore, yet he can deliver a vocal hook as well as any punk-pop veteran when the moment requires.

The fact that the Abi Yoyos are a special band is evident in the single's closing tune, "Bohemian Grove," which, while rapid-fire in its delivery, ends like a slow-dance tune at the sock hop. This seven-inch has a very 80's hardcore spirit to it in its disregard for the constrictions that ritually plague punk: none of the songs are samey or tiresome, which reflects favorably on this band's ability to put out quality releases in the future.

Michael Harkin

The Dials -

FLEX TIME
Rating: 5/5

If the Distillers and the B-52's were to mate and have a post-punk baby, The Dials would be it. The quartet's debut album Flex Time is a scintillating concoction of energy and defiance with catchy, well written songs about life, love, and the frustration that comes with.

Rebecca Crawford, Emily Dennison and Patti Gran supply vocals, as well as guitar, bass and keyboards. Adding a bit of testosterone to the group is the late Douglas Meis, whose high-powered talent on the drum set acts as a glue that harmoniously holds the album together.

Lead vocalist Crawford does her best to channel all that was great about estrogen-powered punk in the 80's as she wraps her tantalizing voice around each song, creating a sound that is distinctively her own.

The album begins with "Dead Beat," a lament about lusty nighttime plans gone awry, as the protagonist asks "Why did you quit before we start/Was it something I just said/Is it me or are you dead?" Good question.

‘Nothing But Crazy' could easily have been blasted from a boombox on a street corner in the 80's. This track proves to be pure anarchy, utilizing heavy drums, jarring guitar and lyrics that are almost screamed rather than sung.

The Dials seamlessly combine bittersweet angst with almost naive hopefulness and the result is pure dance floor ready post-punk perfection. Flex Time is non-stop energy from the first track to the last and would keep any hipster or indie kid out all night dancing like an idiot in his black rimmed glasses and too-tight tweed thrift store suit.

Marya Gates

The All-American Rejects -

MOVE ALONG
Rating: 1/5

The name says it all, folks. These guys have taken shameless imitation of adolescent rebellion to lows that are impressive for the 10 seconds before they become deeply sad. On their latest release, Move Along, they continue to showcase their remarkable ability to avoid doing anything outstanding, despite brutally obvious pretensions of punk anger and searing insight into the late adolescent condition.

The distinguishing mark of Move Along is truly its utter lack of musical distinction. Frontman Tyson Ritter possesses the voice of every lead singer of every local emo band from here to suburban Vermont, and the band's other three members likewise fail to contribute anything of particular interest, minus the occasional well-executed few measures of drumming by Chris Gaylor.

They aren't even insightful enough to find their way to a 15-year-old guy's MySpace the night his girlfriend cheats on him, a quality particularly evident on "Can't Take It," "If you're so strong/you might as well do it alone/And I watch you go." This track also takes a page from the Yellowcard book that might have been better left untouched forever-the violin page.

Indeed, many of this album's tracks are reminiscent of songs and sentiments better conveyed by someone else. They lack the cleverness of Green Day, or the genuine insight of Jimmy Eat World. Whatever outsider delusions this band may support, this album only serves to bring new meaning to the term "more of the same."

Ariel Toft

Tags: