Artist: Kevin Seconds
Album: Off Stockton
Source: Spotify
Pre-listening Notes: So back in the beginning of my entrance into the world of hardcore, one of the first albums ever given to me to listen to was 7 Seconds Walk Together, Rock Together. That, coupled with Start Today, Damaged, and a few others, turned me onto the music I still listen to most today. As a band, they have put out a ton of records, Kevin has also been involved in a ton of side projects and it appears that he has put out what is now his sixth solo record. The only thing I know about the solo stuff is I am not expecting short, fast, melodic hardcore. I am expecting this to be the acoustic punk stuff that so many aging punkers seem to be gravitating to these days. So, here goes.
Initial Reaction: And score one for expectations. First thing I notice is his voice is actually a lot better than I would have thought. Not just for a guy in his 50's, but also for a guy who spent the better part of his youth screaming.
Random Thoughts: Second thing I notice is the songs are not particularly long, or drawn out. The first two songs each seem to clock in under two minutes. I still can't get over how good his voice sounds. Also the songs are on the mellower side, but aren't all sad and mopey. Not to say the themes of the songs are all happy and roses. There is definitely a folk and country vibe going on, but it's not the overpowering sound here. There is a twang, but these aren't songs about pick up trucks and runaway dogs. When he does slow it down and let the song play on a little longer, it doesn't get boring, and I think he even throws an organ in there.
Final Reaction: I'm not sure if the short running time on all but two of the songs is on purpose or he is just using the whole punk belief that short, sweet, and to the point, is the way to write songs. But, this works to his benefit. The songs are all cohesive and get something across before stepping aside and making way for the next song to do the same. This isn't usually my cup of tea, so I may be way off base thinking this
is a good album, but I enjoyed it and really that is what this is all
about. I am not going to say this is the best thing, I still am not a
huge fan of completely acoustic albums, the ability to vary the songs up
becomes harder. I can't say this is something I would listen to every day, but honestly this was way better than I expected a solo record by one of my youth's punk idols to write.
Final Grade: 7.5/10
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