Pack Rat – ‘Glad To Be Forgotten’ (Drunken Sailor Records)

Pack Rat – ‘Glad To Be Forgotten’ (Drunken Sailor Records)

The driving keyboard is what will get you in the end. Insanely catchy as the songs drive on mowing down everything in its wake. It’s like hypnosis through punk rock. ‘A Casual Death’ is anything but. Christ pre-pandemic (remember that?) there was a band out of Vancouver called The Corner Boys and they released one fantastic album then split. Another great record was Chain Whips well since Covid drummer/songwriter Patrick McEachnie has stayed as active as possible using his time to great effect by picking up a guitar and playing. Basically, he made an excellent record all on his own, and if you were paying any attention to his other releases you will know. Those who do just simply know what to expect, sure, of course, this is fucking right up there flat out excellent.

‘Coming After You’ is rapid and right to the point. Making a racket and finger-wagging and full of menace. The title track is a tub-thumping cross between some bedroom homage to the UK Subs and Tubeway Army it’s the synth that’s humming away throughout as the guitars sound like a twenty-year-old Tascam four-track at best only adds to the intensity and manic feel.

‘Two Sides Of Your Heart’ is akin to Chubby And The Gang in some ways – just thrashing away around a hypnotic melody and a blitzkrieg keyboard solo that is a face melter. The record isn’t hanging around either bopping til it drops with songs around the one and a half to two minutes long. Kick-off turn in an awesome melody – kick the listener in the tits then fuck off. Jobs a good un- Next!

When the tempo is turned down a shade (‘I’m No Sustitute’) it’s a killer with a twisted melody and that fuzzed-up synth. It’s not new at all, it’s not big or clever and it’s nothing to write home about if you’re after a polished modern production. Its infectious, banger after banger – twisted melodies layered upon thrashing guitars and monotonous melodies playing with your head. You know you like it but you haven’t the foggiest why? Is it the ripping pace? The Melodies? the mindless pogotastic beat? is it the Ramones love in of ‘Lost Cause’ and ‘Stay Away From Me’ reminding you what it was like to fall in love with punk rock? Of course, it’s all of it. A top tune is a top tune no matter what style it’s done in.

Hell, that was a blast! Ten songs in twenty-something minutes – perfect punk rock for the masses. Now how do we get to the masses? People need a face full of this DIY bad boy as soon as possible. Quality record – just buy it!

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Author: Dom Daley

Corner Boys – Waiting For 2020 ( Drunken Sailor Records /Dirt Cult Records)

Corner Boys – Waiting For 2020 ( Drunken Sailor Records /Dirt Cult Records)

Oh yeah, Canada is killing it again on the power pop stakes.  Trust me there is no other country on the planet churning out top-notch power pop quite like Canada.

I’ve reviewed Corner Boys singles before and when I heard they had an album in the can it was a no brainer.  Imagine Buzzcocks and Undertones mashed up with some New Wave and rolled it into the modern age and whilst these cats doff their caps to their forefathers in punk rock they have just about handcrafted a whole bunch of awesome power pop.  Superbly crafted punk rock songs played at pace with melody and equal amounts of angst and loud sharp guitars.  Songs like ‘Lies And Excuses’ throw some punchy bass lines into the mix along with some Gatlin gun drum rolls.  Damn Corner Boys have got it all.

 

Spit and snot aplenty there is a triumphant fist-pumping we know we’re great thing happening here. Seriously playing this record through had me comparing it to Cyanide Pills for quality on quality on quality and so it goes.  You keep waiting for the next tune to drop off and you tut that they weren’t really the best thing since sliced bread but it doesn’t happen the title track is a much more juvenile snotty pogo through the best of SLF whereas ‘Norman’ is just a massive sugar rush on a rolling guitar lick in a similar vein as the Briefs and The Stitches or at least if you love them you have a fair idea where these cats are coming from.  It’s not complicated its just great fucking songs one after the other from start to finish. If there is a complaint its there are only ten songs on here and that’s it.  They’ve really mainlined the lyrical quality and melody of the late great Pete Shelley on ‘Guilty Galaxy’ No I don’t know what it’s about but it doesn’t matter I was too busy jumping up and down trying to get in time with the music.

‘(I’m such A) Mess’ is like the best Briefs song they never wrote and ‘Don’t Come Back’ is more Buzzcocks that Buzzcocks which is a great place to be.  I love that bands from thousands of miles away really just get it whatever it is they get “it” enough to go into a studio and just have a bunch of fun hacking out tunes faster than the last one and doing it well.  sure Corner Boys won’t ever get inducted into any stupid hall of egos but they’ll make their way into a bunch of really fucking cool record collections of like-minded people who just get it as well.  Why not be one of those people and let a little sunshine into your life and get yourself some Corner Boys punk rock n roll because its simply excellent stuff now ‘Tell Me’ What You Waiting For?

Buy ‘Waiting For 2020’ Here

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Author: Dom Daley