New Releases
(Rating Scale of 1-5)
| Artist: | "Crumbox" |
| Title: | "Resident Double U" |
| Label: | Time Bomb |
| Release Date: | 2/11/97 |
| Available: | Most Major Music Store |
| Reviewed By: | Mary Ellen Gustafson |
| Rating: | 3 1/2 |
It took the music scene from two coasts to form the band "Crumbox." Scott Bradford - Vocals/Guitar - taught himself how to play on a cheap thrift store guitar, almost a right of passage in the Durham/Chapel Hill area of North Carolina where he's from. But instead of starting a band and hitting the local club circuit, he pulled up stakes and moved to L.A. in 1992. A year later he met the brothers Wellerstein, Rich on Guitar and Rob on Drums. While Bradford did his thing back East, the Wellersteins had been lugging their equipment from club to club and band to band, but never managed to attain the punk stardom of their idols "Circle Jerks," "Agent Orange" and "X," because they lacked a good vocalist. Enter Scott Bradford. In their first practice session, along with original Bassist, Jason Spivak, Bradford was immediately dubbed "the singer."
The chemistry between the four young men set them apart from other bands in the L.A. music scene, and "Crumbox" created their own style that never quite fit with the "ready for stardom" crowd of area musicians. Instead of playing the "showcase pay-to-play" gigs that were the norm, they hopped on as openers for touring bands including "Archers of Loaf," "Sammy," "the Meices and "Magic Dirt" to name a few. In 1995 they attracted the attention of Catapult Records, who released their first 7" for "You Bought Sound." After being included in an "IRS" compilation, Jason left the band for graduate school (There seems to be a trend here - punk rockers going off to school. Case in point - Milo Aukerman of the DESCENDENTS) and Frank Cunsolo, a fixture on the local indie-rock scene with his band "Gringo Star" took over. With the new lineup firmly in place, "Crumbox" returned to the studio to record their first full length CD, "Resident Double U" on Time Bomb records.
Now, with the history in place, let's talk about the album. This is a pleasant pop/punk release with more of an emphasis on pop than punk - except maybe in the lyrics. No speed demons here. More of a natural paced set of tunes that match the equally innocuous lyrics. The musicianship is above average, and the vocals are pretty good. A few songs stand out among the 12 tracks on the album. "Two Palms Down" has a driving beat, good instrumentals, a nice melody and interesting lyrics; "Leadfoot," a mellow song with a bit of a meloncholy sound; "Sharon Tate," with pace changes, more punk sounding instrumentals and one of the few tracks with harmonies; "You Bought Sound," a fast rock/punk/metal/ type tune that moves right along - which most of the tracks on this album do not.
On the whole this is an okay album with a few bright spots, but there is a lot of sameness from song to song that gets monotonous by the time you get to the last song. Although billed as a punk band, there's none of the speed and energy that's found on most pop/punk releases, and there are too many much better albums in the genre that have come out in the last few months for this one to stand out in the crowd. It's a worthy effort for a debut album, but in my opinion this band needs to grow some before they'll rate higher.
| Artist: | "The Moon Seven Times" |
| Title: | "Sunburnt" |
| Label: | Roadrunner Records |
| Release Date: | 2/11/97 |
| Available: | Any Major Music Store |
| Reviewed By: | Mary Ellen Gustafson |
| Rating: | 4 |
This is a very dificult album to describe. I suppose it would fall into the Adult Contemporary category - if it didn't have so many jazz, blues and new age overtones. You could call it light, airy pop - but I don't think it's quite Top 40 material. At least not with alternative, punk, rock and metal bands hitting the charts. It would get lost in the shuffle. That's a shame, because this little jewel of a CD may slip through the cracks instead of gaining the attention and popularity it deserves.
"The Moon Seven Times" (Lynn Canfield - Vocalist, Brendan Gamble - Drummer, Henry Frayne - Guitarist, Dont Gerard - Bassist) completed their first album in 1990 for London-based Third Mind Records, but the label ran into financial problems before the record was released. Roadrunner Records picked up Third Mind in 1993 and the band had so much material backed up they had a second album done almost as soon as their self-titled debut hit stores. Their debut had reviewers calling their music "dreamy," "poetic" and "embraceable." Album number two, "7=49" released in 1994, was even better. This latest album, "Sunburnt," once again exhibits the excellent musicianship of the band, and the powerful, airy vocals of Lynn Canfield.
Some of the more notable tracks include "Further," with a light, breezy sound and excellent harmonies; "Thirteen Days," a serious, meloncholy tune with an unusual drum beat that adds interest, and a more "rock" guitar sound; "Bug Collection," a more upbeat, bluesy, folk, rock sounding piece that's just kind of a feel good song; "Neither Luminary," a bit faster than the other songs with a nice instrumental bridge; "You Look Past Me," with a rock beat, electric guitar sound and soulful lyrics.
On the whole, this is a pleasant album, and a nice change from the usual rock and metal that I review, but by the end of the CD I found the sameness to be a bit tiresome. Lynn has a beautiful voice, and uses it well, and they are all talented musicians, but I heard potential for more variety from song to song that never materialized. If you like your pop/rock in the extremely light vein, this album is for you. It will also appeal to New Age and Blues fans as well. So, I gave it 4 for good music, an enjoyable listen once in a while and a worthy effort.
Return to Table of Contents
