Environmental Youth Crunch
Let's Ride
Year Released: 2007Format: CD
Label: bakery outlet
Reviewed by Samuel Fowler
Oh dude! The suns bright! Let’s put our bikes in the van, head out to
the coast, hit the beach and PARTY!
EEK
I could have continued the review in the same vein, filling the rest of it with clinking crusty clichés about how EYC probably hitch on trains, make their own clothes from burlap sacks, and steal liquor from the mart to drink whilst sneaking aboard a freight headed for Portland. (And as for the name.. seriously.. is this another use of the random band name generator?) I would then have had the Perfectly Generic start to a Perfectly Generic review of a Perfectly Generic Folk Punx band (PGFP?) but as EYC aren’t all that generic (particularly by the beards ‘n pianos template) it’d have been a bit mean of me.
First out (and for paraphrased lyrics, hit up the top of the review) summery vocals compete with catchy guitar hooks, And even break out into spots of whistling (!) here and there. A smile creeps across my face, this is pretty upbeat! The record speeds on fusing your usual plan-it-x folksy sensibilities with a decidedly streetpunk edge and jaunty almost cocky vocals ringing over the whole package. [a slower track later on] sees a brief but welcome drop in the pop-punk chords, allowing a mellower more introspective side of the band to emerge. More of this!
If I’m being nasty and honest however... “Lets Ride” does start to lose it’s footing and start to veer from side to side once we’re a few tracks into this one. Sure, I dig the sound, but too few of the songs stray from the template of crunchy guitar starts, followed by vocals flipping up and down in pitch, which is a shame, as the diversity suits something like this. And as for the Christmas/Carol tinged track at the end... ACHGHHAH?!?! Leave that crap for the Vandals please! It’s easier to avoid that way.
I think this may well be another contender for the too-many-songs-on-one-release medal.. If I could grab my favorite 2 tracks on this, have them share a 7” with one of the other usual suspects, it’d have made a ripping 7”, but as is? I’m not entirely convinced.
EEK
I could have continued the review in the same vein, filling the rest of it with clinking crusty clichés about how EYC probably hitch on trains, make their own clothes from burlap sacks, and steal liquor from the mart to drink whilst sneaking aboard a freight headed for Portland. (And as for the name.. seriously.. is this another use of the random band name generator?) I would then have had the Perfectly Generic start to a Perfectly Generic review of a Perfectly Generic Folk Punx band (PGFP?) but as EYC aren’t all that generic (particularly by the beards ‘n pianos template) it’d have been a bit mean of me.
First out (and for paraphrased lyrics, hit up the top of the review) summery vocals compete with catchy guitar hooks, And even break out into spots of whistling (!) here and there. A smile creeps across my face, this is pretty upbeat! The record speeds on fusing your usual plan-it-x folksy sensibilities with a decidedly streetpunk edge and jaunty almost cocky vocals ringing over the whole package. [a slower track later on] sees a brief but welcome drop in the pop-punk chords, allowing a mellower more introspective side of the band to emerge. More of this!
If I’m being nasty and honest however... “Lets Ride” does start to lose it’s footing and start to veer from side to side once we’re a few tracks into this one. Sure, I dig the sound, but too few of the songs stray from the template of crunchy guitar starts, followed by vocals flipping up and down in pitch, which is a shame, as the diversity suits something like this. And as for the Christmas/Carol tinged track at the end... ACHGHHAH?!?! Leave that crap for the Vandals please! It’s easier to avoid that way.
I think this may well be another contender for the too-many-songs-on-one-release medal.. If I could grab my favorite 2 tracks on this, have them share a 7” with one of the other usual suspects, it’d have made a ripping 7”, but as is? I’m not entirely convinced.
