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WHISKEY SUNDAY "MALDECIDO" CD
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1. The Hatchery Doors
2. Valley of the Dead 3. Radiation Kid 4. Jackie And The Beast 5. 2004 6. Wallchasers 7. The Culling Song 8. Red Ribbon 9. The Laughing Academies 10. Transcend 11. Maldecido 12. Wounded Lamb 13. The Brain Changers 14. Head Hunter II 15. The Captain THE NERD ALERT!!! CD still in print. No special editions. |
PUNKPLANET: - I liked Whiskey Sunday's first album when I reviewed it a few issues back, so I was pretty curious to hear this follow-up. The amount of progress between that album and this one is pretty remarkable. By "progress" I don't mean that they've changed their approach; they're still playing tough, catchy melodic punk rock with tasteful guitar leads and gruff-as-hell vocals. Only now they seem to really be coming into their own as a band and finding their own voice. They've reached the point where the songs don't all sound alike as they employ different tempos, musical styles and instrumentation, but it all ends up being identifiable as the work of the same band. On Maldecido, they're living up to the potential they showed on the debut, and it's damn exciting. Fifteen songs with out a clunker in the bunch, but standouts for me are "The Brain Changers", "Transcend" and the excellent male/female duet "The Laughing Academies". In closing, since I mentioned how terrible the cover art was on the debut, I feel obliged to say that the cover is much cooler this time around. Great work, guys. (JC)
UNDER THE VOLCANO: - This is one of the best of my selections for this issue. Whiskey Sunday play an interesting mix of Leatherface and Naked Raygun-styled punk, but it's mixed with a little more of a rock and roll feel. The gruff vocals make me think the frontman might actually gargle Jack Daniels for a living. Fifteen songs in total, making for an excellent punk rock collection (McClernon)
MAXIMUMROCKNROLL: - San Jose's WHISKEY SUNDAY delivers a solid follow-up to their self-titled album of 2003. I loved that album, and was excited to hear how they would follow it up. The band, comprised of veterans of San Jose punk bands, including KRUPTED PEASENT FARMERS and APEFACE, has it's own sound, which is most easily comparable to a band like LEATHERFACE. They show hints of everything from THE POGUES (especially on the boy-girl duet "The Laughing Academies" which recalls Shane MacGowan's "Fairytale of New York") to RKL and BAD RELIGION, and singer Dover's vocals sound like a gruff Mike Ness. The songwriting on this album is up to par with that on their previous effort. By now, they have established their style and on this album they try some different kinds of songs, some of which are less straightforward than before, and some of which are a little more drawn out. Still, their commitment ot punk songs with catchy melodic guitar leads holds steady. (WL)
RAZORCAKE: - Vocals can make or break a band for me, and I understand it's completly a matter of taste. I have a hard time listening to bands that have singers whose voices sound like a speaker about to rip. Maybe because it's a sound I attribute to mechanical failure? Dunno. Anyhow, I instantly took a shining to the instruments in Whiskey Sunday's songs. They've got a great balance of being both open and anthemic. Creating a big atmosphere while still pounding a song along with a nice velocity. It's the type of non-flashy dual work that helps make Leatherface so great. They're also multi-limb catchy. I'll catch myself tapping a toe while nodding my head, a sure sign there's more than something simple and derivative going on. After listening to this ten times, the lead singer's voice is bothering me less, and I've heard instrumental flashes of Pegboy and Hot Water Music. Includes the instantly standout track "The Laughing Academies" with Annie of This Is My Fist belting out the duet vocals. (Todd)