The Pisshead Blues Band "s/t" CD
[Crimes Against Humanity]
Ehhh, I don't know.  This is an "acoustic blues" project that features members of Misery, Civil Disobedience, and Deadstate, but I'm not really into it.  It's basically simple songs with acoustic guitars (and sometimes bass and drums) backing decent singing vocals that are a little hoarse and monotone.  I actually enjoy some of the singing and think the three core members have potential in this realm as songwriters, I just have a hard time taking it seriously since the packaging is way too hokey and a lot of the lyrics are goofy and lighthearted as well.  The layout's just not that hot at all, using some collaged images and sort of silly illustrations and all that.  No lyrics are included, just some quick thanks and a blurb about how this was recorded between 1999 to 2004 and done totally D.I.Y.  That's all fine and good, but... it still kind of looks like crap, you know?  I don't mind that the record is dry and somewhat rough because it fits the aesthetic of the music.  But were this a totally serious project I'd recommend evening out the mix so that the instruments would be balanced against the vocals.  Not a big deal, but since I can actually hear a lot of promise in this stuff it's worth throwing out there.  I'm reminded of a few artists when I listen to this disc, but I honestly can't put my finger on any names.  It's just as well, because intentional stylistic deviation or not, there are a lot of people out there who would refuse to accept members of punk bands being musically linked to the types of musicians I'm thinking of here - though I personally don't view it as anything but a compliment to the fact that these folks can actually write nice songs within this framework.  "Just Ain't Right", for example, is kind of catchy.  Some of the chord changes seem a little off, but I actually really like the verse parts a lot.  That raspy vocal delivery is pretty damn nice in this one.  The vocal performance in "Time to Waste" isn't the strongest, but musically the openly melodic playing is great, and the mix is a bit more balanced too, so this actually makes for a pretty damn good tune.  The female vocal harmonies in "I'm So Lost" are pretty solid as well, so I'd like to hear some of that moodier stuff brought in more often.  In "The Rain" said female singing performance wavers a little more, but as one of the longer and more developed songs it still explores the band's stronger areas, so... there's something there.  They also cover The Mob's "No Doves Fly Here...", complete with some keyboards!?  Definitely a different approach.  Not great, mind you, but there are some cool elements that could benefit from refinement.  I guess my chief recommendation with this stuff would be that they ought to take it a little more seriously, especially with regards to the visual presentation.  The packaging rubs me the wrong way and creates and improper initial response that's not fair to what musical value the disc does possess.  Beyond that it wouldn't hurt to put a little more time into the mixing process, and I would certainly encourage them not to release another 70-minute CD in the future.  I understand that this is a collection of material documented over the course of five years, but 21 tracks in more than an hour is far too much to take, and there are more than a few throwaway tunes here.  Take then 10 most mature songs from this disc and throw ‘em in a more fitting package and I'd easily give it a 6/10.  So yeah, I'm being critical, but not because I don't like it... because I feel strongly that there's something of worth here - perhaps even more than the band members themselves may realize.  Shit, I don't like the lighthearted fare one bit, but under ideal circumstances I bet these three could make one hell of a moving record out of this stuff. (5/10)
Running time - 68:29, Tracks: 21
[Notable tracks: Just Ain't Right, Time to Waste, The Rain, No Doves Fly Here...]
Crimes Against Humanity Records - http://www.cahrecords.com

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