Mazeffect - "horseshoes & hand grenades"
I've known Mazeffect for quite a while now, and I have always enjoyed their brand of rock & roll (which leans heavily on the punk rock side of things), but "horseshoes & hand grenades" shows a huge leap forward from their previous releases. Firstly, having Chris Pierce (Groucho Marxists, Doc Hopper) produce the album has taken Mazeffect from their previous lo-fi recordings, to a full fidelity sound that really showcases their sound better. Secondly, the 10 songs on this CD (and one "hidden track" of studio banter), which clock in at a concise 26 minutes, shows them broadening their sound to include more rockabilly and country influences without losing their rock edge. Their reworking of "612 wharf ave." (which originally appeared on their previous album "state of mind"), gave them the opportunity to do a punky-tonk song, that probably owes more to old Sun Records than anything else.
For those who want just straight ahead rock and roll with a punk edge, don't worry there is plenty of that also, including the two songs whose choruses continue to get stuck in my head, "pictures of your room", and, "going left, I think", as well as, "operational you", which sounds like the best Foo Fighters song that the Foos didn't write.
There are also a pair of covers on this album that should be noted. "When you were you", a song by The Holy Rollers (a NJ based punk band from the late 80's), and "some of Shelley's blues", an old Mike Nesmith (The Monkees) song, that again showcases a different side of Mazeffect.
I recently described "horseshoes & hand grenades" to someone as similar to The Replacements brilliance of incorporating different genres into their punk rock roots. I can only hope that this album goes on to be as widely popular as many of The Replacements classic albums. Yes, I do feel it's that good an album.
www.myspace.com/mazeffect
I've known Mazeffect for quite a while now, and I have always enjoyed their brand of rock & roll (which leans heavily on the punk rock side of things), but "horseshoes & hand grenades" shows a huge leap forward from their previous releases. Firstly, having Chris Pierce (Groucho Marxists, Doc Hopper) produce the album has taken Mazeffect from their previous lo-fi recordings, to a full fidelity sound that really showcases their sound better. Secondly, the 10 songs on this CD (and one "hidden track" of studio banter), which clock in at a concise 26 minutes, shows them broadening their sound to include more rockabilly and country influences without losing their rock edge. Their reworking of "612 wharf ave." (which originally appeared on their previous album "state of mind"), gave them the opportunity to do a punky-tonk song, that probably owes more to old Sun Records than anything else.
For those who want just straight ahead rock and roll with a punk edge, don't worry there is plenty of that also, including the two songs whose choruses continue to get stuck in my head, "pictures of your room", and, "going left, I think", as well as, "operational you", which sounds like the best Foo Fighters song that the Foos didn't write.
There are also a pair of covers on this album that should be noted. "When you were you", a song by The Holy Rollers (a NJ based punk band from the late 80's), and "some of Shelley's blues", an old Mike Nesmith (The Monkees) song, that again showcases a different side of Mazeffect.
I recently described "horseshoes & hand grenades" to someone as similar to The Replacements brilliance of incorporating different genres into their punk rock roots. I can only hope that this album goes on to be as widely popular as many of The Replacements classic albums. Yes, I do feel it's that good an album.
www.myspace.com/mazeffect