Album Details

• Artist: The Attorneys
• Album: Stereocracy
• Label: Self Released
• Year of Release: 2007
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: andyfromjersey on 2008-03-22

    With their debut LP Stereocracy, The Attorneys show up right on time and play for keeps. This relatively new NYC based trio arrives on the scene armed with an accessible but original spin on your run of the mill disco influenced pop rock band.

    The opening track, “On a Whim,” epitomizes the meeting between two power pop heavyweights: The Strokes and Spoon. It opens with what at first sounds like another boring “dance-punk” chord progression, which is obliterated instantly by the presence of an upbeat piano riff followed by a beautiful little vocal jingle, which begins the album with an optimistic “Gotta get back, get back to you!”     

    William Ryan George, the singer/bassist, then takes us on a fun but by no means mindless sonic trip of light, quick tunes (“On a Whim,” “The Way I Want”) and heavier rockers (“Stay,” “She Got It”) broken up in the middle by one of the slower numbers on the album, “Poppies,” a dark, druggie sounding song placed appropriately dead center of the record (track five of ten) that breaks up the sweaty-evening-at-the-rock-club feel of the first half of Stereocracy.

    The Attorneys don’t miss any opportunities to show their technical ability either, as demonstrated with the presence--but not overabundance--of guitar solos, drum fills, and vocal runs that show influences starting with (of course) The Beatles, but working also working through The Police, Weezer, and even Queen. The melding of styles, genres, and influences weave seamlessly into The Attorneys’ overall sound. There is no fake eclecticism on this album; if performed by other musicians, it would be choked with obligatory tributes to various influences--the “punk” track, the “disco” track, the “bubblegum” track. The band’s favorites are all present, but never thrown in the listener’s face.

    If Stereocracy is just the first album by this band, I think it’s safe to say we can truly expect big things to come from The Attorneys. With a raw talent of technical and songwriting ability, an enjoyable, familiar style full of subtle touches of originality, and an indescribable something that just happens to put them above the rest, these fresh faces will be welcomed onto the scene and ushered into their place in contemporary rock and roll.

User Reviews and Comments

on 2008-03-25 dscanland Said:

I knew there was a good review in this album. I tried a couple times and while enjoying The Attorneys, I just couldn't put it into words. Thanks Andy. You've done Stereocracy justice.
Rating: 7/10