Review:

on 2009-08-19 Archelon Said:

A delicious New Jersey duo, and we all know that duos are hot these days. This band is entirely paradoxical - a tongue-in-cheek lyrical style of storytelling combines perfectly with some wonderfully spastic punk/rock/indie sound. It's beautifully genreless, smart and fun all at once... I can hear your heart beat faster from here.

Somehow, these two manage to put together a majestic sound. The opening track of 'Ghosts' is the spunky 'O Shot', which lures you into a false sense of security with wind-chime-esq tones... then before you know it, you're on your knees doing a T-Rex style air guitar in your living room. The next track, 'Bob Dylan's 115th Nightmare' shows their talent for storming rock melody and great lyrics, and I have to admit it's a long time since an album has got under my skin like this.

The highlights just keep on coming - 'N.H.D.N.' is a uniquely told story and has some stunning guitarwork on it and sparkles with the pop-punky energy this has become the Gay Blades' trademark. Even the oh-so-emo 'Dog Day Afternoon' stands out, be it self-mocking and overindulgent.

The interluded 'We Wear Mittens' is a 1:25 foray into the ridiculous, but welcomly breaks up the more intense stuff... oh wait, no. It's just as intense as everything else these guys do. The love they have for music and fun is present in every note from the guitar or growl of Clark Westfield. 'Hey She Say' is also a great drumming showcase by the second half of the duo, Puppy Mills, who must have at least 3 incredibly dextrous arms.

The whole album is anything but textbook, and at times you find yourself wondering if these guys set out to celebrate or defecate on rock n' roll in all it's forms. They have basted themselves in irony and thrown themselves to the critics. The record is interesting and annoying all at once, but that, I think, embodies the soul of this band perfectly.
Rating: 9/10