Post by Fuggle on Sept 1, 2006 7:19:17 GMT -5
Zeno Beach
Radio Birdman
Yep Roc Records
(out of 5)
A lot's changed in 25 years. We've gone from vinyl to CD to MP3, the price of a gallon of gas has gone up threefold, the Berlin wall, Soviet Union and Milli Vanilli fell, while the MySpace, YouTube and a million other websites pushed out absent-minded doodling as the at-work procrastination tool of choice.
Radio Birdman hasn't changed in 25 years. With Zeno Beach, the band's first studio effort since 1981, the Aussie legends return to build on their reputation rather than just cash in on it. Roaring back to life as loud and rowdy as ever, Radio Birdman reinvigorates the hot-and-sweaty sleaze-punk of its youth for another generation. It's worlds away from today's crop of eyeliner-enhanced punk boys, dropping huge hard-rock guitars and Motor City riffs all over the place, showing that, even in a time span that's seen so much change, we can count on Radio Birdman.
Shifting gears between the flamin' grooves of amp-searing Detroit styled punk (even after 25 years, Radio Birdman's heavily indebted to The MC5 and The Stooges) and smoky, mid-tempo rockers, Zeno Beach puts the band's faith securely on the rock basics. It's a well placed conviction. "You Just Make It Worse" slithers though the sort of big-balls guitar groove you'd expect from a young AC/DC or a coked-up Rolling Stones. "Subterfuge" and "Hungry Cannibals" let guitarist Deniz Tek and Chris Masuak trade snarky leads and meaty riffs with a poise hitherto untouched in Radio Birdman history. "We've Come So Far (To Be Here Today)" and "Found Dead" rip off the stops for a roof-shaking guitar assault that'll bring a smile to every longtime fan's face. Singer Rob Younger completes the package, skipping between howled choruses and those mysterious stretches reminiscent of "Man with Golden Helmet," proving that he's still Australia's best rock front man, hands down.
While Zeno Beach can't compare with Radio Birdman classics like "Smith and Wesson Blues" or "Murder City Nights," it's still chalk full of songs that live up to Radio Birdman's still-growing legend -- a feat a reunited New York Dolls, Germs, Sex Pistols and MC5 haven't even accomplished.
It's been a generation since Radio Birdman last took flight, but, luckily, some things stay the same. Zeno Beach proves the Australian outfit's one of them, with a sound that's still true to the legend.
- Matt Schild
Radio Birdman
Yep Roc Records
(out of 5)
A lot's changed in 25 years. We've gone from vinyl to CD to MP3, the price of a gallon of gas has gone up threefold, the Berlin wall, Soviet Union and Milli Vanilli fell, while the MySpace, YouTube and a million other websites pushed out absent-minded doodling as the at-work procrastination tool of choice.
Radio Birdman hasn't changed in 25 years. With Zeno Beach, the band's first studio effort since 1981, the Aussie legends return to build on their reputation rather than just cash in on it. Roaring back to life as loud and rowdy as ever, Radio Birdman reinvigorates the hot-and-sweaty sleaze-punk of its youth for another generation. It's worlds away from today's crop of eyeliner-enhanced punk boys, dropping huge hard-rock guitars and Motor City riffs all over the place, showing that, even in a time span that's seen so much change, we can count on Radio Birdman.
Shifting gears between the flamin' grooves of amp-searing Detroit styled punk (even after 25 years, Radio Birdman's heavily indebted to The MC5 and The Stooges) and smoky, mid-tempo rockers, Zeno Beach puts the band's faith securely on the rock basics. It's a well placed conviction. "You Just Make It Worse" slithers though the sort of big-balls guitar groove you'd expect from a young AC/DC or a coked-up Rolling Stones. "Subterfuge" and "Hungry Cannibals" let guitarist Deniz Tek and Chris Masuak trade snarky leads and meaty riffs with a poise hitherto untouched in Radio Birdman history. "We've Come So Far (To Be Here Today)" and "Found Dead" rip off the stops for a roof-shaking guitar assault that'll bring a smile to every longtime fan's face. Singer Rob Younger completes the package, skipping between howled choruses and those mysterious stretches reminiscent of "Man with Golden Helmet," proving that he's still Australia's best rock front man, hands down.
While Zeno Beach can't compare with Radio Birdman classics like "Smith and Wesson Blues" or "Murder City Nights," it's still chalk full of songs that live up to Radio Birdman's still-growing legend -- a feat a reunited New York Dolls, Germs, Sex Pistols and MC5 haven't even accomplished.
It's been a generation since Radio Birdman last took flight, but, luckily, some things stay the same. Zeno Beach proves the Australian outfit's one of them, with a sound that's still true to the legend.
- Matt Schild