1.. I’ll make no bones about
it. I absolutely hated Squad Five-0’s first two albums. I found their poorly
produced mix of ska and punk and insipid lyrics very nearly unlistenable.
2.. Glam metal appears to
be coming back into fashion. More and more punk bands are declaring their
style as "glam punk," and with VH1 dedicating their _Behind the Music_
show to more and more hair metal bands, it appears that we may very soon
be in the grip of a full-scale ‘80s metal revival.
3.. I have a special place
in my heart for all the old, great glam metal bands, such as Iron Maiden,
Judas Priest and Poison. I love glam stage theatrics and pyrotechnics,
and I’m even willing to overlook the banality recurrent in the genre because
of it.
4.. I received a tape in
the mail a few months ago that included two songs off of Squad Five-0’s
latest album, Bombs Over Broadway. I was very much taken by these
songs, especially the bizarrely catchy title track:
Countdown 5-4-3-2-1
The end is near, baby,
here it comes
The neon lights of the
city burn
And the sirens warn:
bombs over Broadway!
Lady Liberty is laid
to rest
"Give me liberty or give
me death"
Her dream died with her
last request
She didn’t expect bombs
over Broadway
5.. Lead singer/guitarist Jeff
Fortson doesn’t really have the multi-octave vocal range needed for true
glam metal. Instead, he uses the snotty punk vocals of The Ramones or New
York Dolls as well as those groups’ New York lyrical imagery. (Fortson
also manages to throw a sly reference to The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen,
into "Tramps On the Run.")
6.. Bombs Over Broadway
is just as cheesy as the rest of the band’s material, but this time, they’ve
found a way to make their cheesiness fun rather than obnoxious. In other
words, they’ve found their niche. I predict that in a matter of months,
independent punk bands all across the nation will be declaring their style
"glam punk" and ripping off this album (if they haven’t already done so).
Michial Farmer (8.23.00)
|
|
