STILL SINGLE

A space for thoughts on music and culture, as written by Doug Mosurock and a select handful of individuals. This is intended as a supplement to our regular feature Still Single, published on Dusted Magazine. Updates will run here more frequently, and may feature writing on music not covered in the column. Compact discs are still not accepted for review -- we have more than enough vinyl and the occasional cassette to worry about. Our Twitter feed keeps you apprised of reviews as they're published. It's kept locked and private, because with a name like @stillsingle, everyone thinks it's a dating site. Approvals happen whenever they happen.

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May 8, 2012

Heavy Times – Jacker LP (Hozac)

RECOMMENDED

I don’t remember Heavy Times being particularly heavy in any appreciable sense on their 7”, which sounded like McDonald’s wrappers blowing across a parking lot. Jacker could be the work of an entirely different band, one that can actually rock with some determination. This is poppy, melodic music with a hard exterior crust, toughened up with blown-out production choices which make this one sound like quite the ass-pounder, chugging away at the sort of line-drive rhythms perfected by Rocket from the Crypt and Hot Snakes. It’s fun to listen to these guys do the Chicago-style backup pop-punk vocals a la Naked Raygun, and to hear the sort of well-oiled Midwest noise/indie rock mechanisms that used to grind with pride back in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. It all fits together quite well, the unexpected harder side of the tracks here giving the songs a lot of tooth, and the monolithic nature of their sound fortifying the riffs. “Memory Dump,” the album’s ballad, even recalls, like, Neil Diamond. Does Chicago have good bands again? Maybe so. (http://www.hozacrecords.com)
(Doug Mosurock)

1 year ago • 0 notes