Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

When old school punk crosses over into the new school arena, you end up with bands like The Wednesday Night Heroes. If you like bands like the Unseen or the Casualties, then this album would be perfect for you. Raging fast guitars and catchy lyrical anthems to sing to -- a show must be pretty amazing to watch!

The band’s name comes from a quote overheard from Dee Snider, a member of Twisted Sister, in an Edmonton nightclub where he preached that, “…it doesn’t matter what day of the week it is because if you really want to let loose, you’ll do it without concern for tomorow.” The fun, positive, and live-for-today attitude is what really drives and motivates this band.

It was in 1997 that these four friends -- Konrad Andrelunas, Luke MacKinnon, Jason Zazula-Tubs, and Graeme MacKinnon came together. Their vision was to combine the U.K. influences such as The Professionals, The Cockney Rejects, Chelsea, and The Clash with their love for early 80’s hardcore like GBH, Bad Brains, Seven Seconds, SNFU, and Naked Raygun. Thus, the sound of The Wednesday Night Heroes were born.

Lyrically The Wednesday Night Heroes remind me very much of Minor Threat. The lyrics on this Guilty Pleasures release are simple but intense, providing racing energy, enough to get any mosh pit raging violently like an out of control tornado -- you know the kind where suddenly it breaks, you’re caught, you’re spinning, losing control, and by the time you get out you realize that your shoe is missing and you have to scramble back to the floor to find it.

The tracks I particularly liked were Dead End Street and Liar, although the whole album is something that you can pretty much play through continuously. Guilty Pleasures is an album that I can definitely recommend!