I heard some people raving over this cd, and I’m not surprised, because overall, it’s a fairly solid release. Unfortunately, beyond the highly talented vocals of Nathan Lawler, the music doesn’t quite inspire this to be the incredible release that it could have been. DEATH ON WEDNESDAY (who have a great name by the way) have the mid-tempo melodic punk sound down to a tee, similar to AUTOMATIC 7 or SOCIAL DISTORTION, but without the same level of grittiness. Of the 13 tracks, more than a few find themselves wrapped in a slow plodding groove, which makes for great background music – though I doubt that was what the band was intending. “Stranded,” and “Bad Case of You,” both struck me has “must hear” tunes, and i’m sure that with time, this will grow on me more. Worth a listen. The packaging is very much sharp and crisp, which helps this release to beg to be taken off the shelf.

Vagrant/Side Cho

www.vagrant.com