Following our retro review of the second album by White Trash, we have a White Trash alum (Aaron Collins) who didn’t play on that album I reviewed, but is featured in Butterbrain, who recently released this wild and wonderful ride of an album. How is that for a confusing start? This looks to be the third full-length album by the band. Produced by Angelo Moore from Fishbone, who also appears on the album, this album showcases an eclectic mix of styles that flows together seamlessly for a very entertaining listen.
Kicking off with a spoken word type piece, ‘Armageddon’ sets the stage for the mayhem to come across the album. The poetry covers a lot of the mess the world is currently experiencing, and initially could make a first-time listener expect a harrowing song to follow in its footsteps. The twist is that we might as well go out partying instead of dwelling on the end of the world. ‘Armageddon Party’ explodes out of the speaker with a guest appearance by Moore. This is an anthem that needs to be spilling out of speakers right now. The up-tempo beat creates a party atmosphere with the fire and brimstone lyrics being completely at odds with it. The horn section helps provide a driving, urgent force to the song. The spoken word near the end of the song reminds me of the Dwarves before an explosion brings it to an end. The song brings splashes of the 90’s but in a fresh contemporary way. Changing direction with the ska flavoured ‘Roots,’ Sally May (also alto sax) takes lead vocals with Moore providing back-up vocals and drums. If your body is not moving to the beat, you should make sure there is not a tag on your toe because apparently your heart’s not pumping. Sometimes songs just have a way of automatically producing a smile on a listener’s face, with this being a great example.
Over the first three tracks, the band have really set the stage to go anywhere they want musically. ‘Halfway to Jupiter’ continues in a ska direction with May providing more lead vocals. The horns jump out in the mix and steer the song forward. Lyrically, the band explores a breakup in a unique way that feels natural and uncontrived. I really enjoy how there is a vocal touch in the song where the lyrics are being sung in a round. The mix allows each of the competing lines to be clearly heard. ‘Hold Tight’ turns up the rock and feels more influenced by the likes of Motorhead’s commercial side musically. Guitars rule the day here, with each vocalist in the band getting their own verse to voice their frustrations. The chorus is catchy and straightforward. This song initially didn’t stand out as much to me, but it fits perfectly within the album and has been getting more and more plays from me. Butterbrain again refuses to be pigeon-holed into just a few genres, so they add some rocking Latin-inspired beats and horns to deliver another great song in ‘Pressure.’ The chorus is catchy and simple, with the real hook for me being the musical motif.
After a plethora of sounds across the first half of the album, the band have really placed no restrictions on expectations of what could follow across the rest of the album. With that in mind, the pop punk approach to ‘Altarboy’ is not a surprise but a welcome addition to the album. Similar to ‘Hold Tight,’ this was another song that didn’t impact me as much initially as it does now. The sax solo by Moore is an awesome addition to the song and gives it a little bit of a ’70s era glam influence. While Collins handled the apocalyptic-fueled initial poetry/ spoken word style piece at the beginning of the album, Moore provides one here called ‘Hateless Love’ that feels more upbeat. Both pieces are backed up musically in ways I could expect from something like Warrior Soul’s ‘Chill Pill’ album. ‘Sunnyside Up’ feels like the sun is rising, which falls right in line with the lyrics. Musically, the band verge into another style with a song that could fit seamlessly on late 60’s or early 70’s rock radio. I hear elements of the Beatles in some of the vocals. Across the album, the band inspire and mandates that the listener feel the songs in their soul and move to the beat, with this being no exception.
One of my favourites when I first heard the album was ‘Jailbreak,’ and that has not changed at all. Largely instrumental with some chants of ‘Jailbreak’ thrown in for the crowd to sing. This really feels like it could have been released in the 50s and been a huge hit. What’s remarkable with that in mind is that the song still feels fresh. Closing out the album is the one-two punch Bad Brains’ cover combination of ‘Introduction’ and ‘I Against I.’ On an album where the band has covered so much ground musically, this closes the album in style and power. The raw emotions of the players can be felt through the speakers.
I highlighted a few members throughout, but this album gels because of the band, so let me expand on the players. Aaron Collins handles a lot of vocals as well as bass and keyboards. He is one of the key songwriters in the band, who apparently has a diverse internal radio (to borrow a title from Ginger Wildheart). Brendan Stiles provides some lead and backing vocals while also playing the trumpet and being part of a horn section that includes the previously mentioned May, plus Rob Miller (tenor sax), and Benjamin Clapp (trombone). Mike Caldarella handles most of the drums as well as percussion, with Jay Nicholas also playing some bass and percussion. With Moore also contributing across the album, it would have been easy to have too many ingredients in the mix, but everything fits perfectly together and never feels cluttered.
I wrote different conclusions to this review, trying to explain what I see in my head when I play this album, but I think sometimes it is easier to keep it simple. ‘Armageddon Party’ is a largely fun album, even when it tells us the world is exploding. These songs should be getting regular airplay on the internet and satellite radio. If you are a Fishbone fan, you not only have their latest album from this year but also Moore’s appearances here. These 12 songs don’t waste a second across the album’s 35 minutes runtime. It has immediately found a spot in my rotation and will likely remain there for quite a while. I recommend checking this one out soon.
‘Armageddon Party’ is available now.
Buy Here: Bandcamp
Author: Gerald Stansbury
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