Artist: Off!
Album: Wasted Years
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/
Pre-listening Notes: Keith Morris is vocally responsible for one of the three best hardcore seven inches of all time, as well as two awesome LP's with the Circle Jerks. When I heard he was forming Off!, I honestly thought there was no way he was going to be able to pull it off, considering his age. Then tons of people started raving about the string of EP's that followed and I ignored it. Then they put out an LP and I ignored it. Finally, I gave the EP's a listen and it was decent, but I wasn't convinced. Then I didn't love the first LP and I feel like I'm about the only one not loving this band. So, here is my final attempt to love this band.
Initial Reaction: The album opens with the song Void You Out, which is fast, and has that sound similar to the early 80's hardcore scene. Maybe I was just missing it with previous releases, but this song rips. I'm still not 100% on Morris's vocals, they are notably weaker than his youth, which is not a surprise considering he is getting close to sixty at this point. But, overall this might just have the vibe I was hoping this band would have.
Random Thoughts: I love the idea that only one of sixteen songs come in over two minutes long. The second song has a creepy crawly breakdown in it. No Easy Escape opens with some trademark Keith Morris talky part. If I ignore the fact that his voice just doesn't sound the same, this is pretty decent. Lyrically, it's got a touch of political, a touch of social injustices, a touch of outcast relating. So far, this has all been short, fast, and to the point. The drumming, provided by the great Mario Rubalcaba, is pretty much on point through this whole thing. I guess for a bunch of old timers, the energy that flows out of this is kind of unreal. As the songs moved on, I sort of got used to the slightly weaker vocals.
Final Reaction: I think I need to revisit the EP's and first LP. I liked this. Keith Morris has been doing this for a really long time and still seems to love doing what he is doing, which I can respect. The music is fast and great. I got used to the vocals about halfway through the album. Lyrically, it's punk, but not in a way that it seems weird for a dude in his 50's to be singing. Modern hardcore and punk bands can learn a lot from Keith Morris and this band. If someone who has been around since basically the start can still do it and enjoy doing what he is doing, then someone who is young and full of life and energy should have no problems doing it.
Final Grade: 7.0/10
Album: Wasted Years
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/
Pre-listening Notes: Keith Morris is vocally responsible for one of the three best hardcore seven inches of all time, as well as two awesome LP's with the Circle Jerks. When I heard he was forming Off!, I honestly thought there was no way he was going to be able to pull it off, considering his age. Then tons of people started raving about the string of EP's that followed and I ignored it. Then they put out an LP and I ignored it. Finally, I gave the EP's a listen and it was decent, but I wasn't convinced. Then I didn't love the first LP and I feel like I'm about the only one not loving this band. So, here is my final attempt to love this band.
Initial Reaction: The album opens with the song Void You Out, which is fast, and has that sound similar to the early 80's hardcore scene. Maybe I was just missing it with previous releases, but this song rips. I'm still not 100% on Morris's vocals, they are notably weaker than his youth, which is not a surprise considering he is getting close to sixty at this point. But, overall this might just have the vibe I was hoping this band would have.
Random Thoughts: I love the idea that only one of sixteen songs come in over two minutes long. The second song has a creepy crawly breakdown in it. No Easy Escape opens with some trademark Keith Morris talky part. If I ignore the fact that his voice just doesn't sound the same, this is pretty decent. Lyrically, it's got a touch of political, a touch of social injustices, a touch of outcast relating. So far, this has all been short, fast, and to the point. The drumming, provided by the great Mario Rubalcaba, is pretty much on point through this whole thing. I guess for a bunch of old timers, the energy that flows out of this is kind of unreal. As the songs moved on, I sort of got used to the slightly weaker vocals.
Final Reaction: I think I need to revisit the EP's and first LP. I liked this. Keith Morris has been doing this for a really long time and still seems to love doing what he is doing, which I can respect. The music is fast and great. I got used to the vocals about halfway through the album. Lyrically, it's punk, but not in a way that it seems weird for a dude in his 50's to be singing. Modern hardcore and punk bands can learn a lot from Keith Morris and this band. If someone who has been around since basically the start can still do it and enjoy doing what he is doing, then someone who is young and full of life and energy should have no problems doing it.
Final Grade: 7.0/10
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