The Whines – Hell to Play LP (Meds)
Come to think of it, maybe it isn’t so bad if music is doomed to repeat itself in ever-tightening cycles. It’s not like any of us are going to be around for that long anyway, so when you find something you like, it’s always nice to have another rendition of it. So give credit where due to the Whines, a Portland rock trio that exemplifies the tension-release of the International Pop Underground, ragged as fuck but blasting away at the brooding tonk of their northwestern home. An earlier single spoke of a bedroom adorned with huge rock posters, the temple of young adult life, and hung off you like your friend’s older sister’s Cure t-shirt you borrowed to wear to Lollapalooza. Hell to Play keeps that promise that the music held, but opens the door a little wider. Capturing this very specific moment in time – 1991-1993, the sound of my high school years, and all the anxiety behind them – is obviously a detail that is personal to me, and maybe not so much to someone who feels like that sort of experience is meaningless to them. I know this isn’t the case, though, and there are probably 15-20,000 adults who would really appreciate the chance to experience that all over again. Karianne plays bass and sings, Jesse plays guitar, Bobby plays drums. They are probably making fun of this review right now, and as well they should, but this record is goddamn great. It’s Nirvana by way of Heavens to Betsy and early Bugskull. What could be better? (http://www.myspace.com/thewhines)
(Doug Mosurock)
