The Trouble "Nobody Laughs Anymore" CD
[Bridge Nine]
The Trouble seems to be somewhat of an enigma: A relatively shortlived punk rock band from Boston (whose vocalist Gibby later fronted the also shortlived Panic) that released a handful of 7"s and compilation tracks alongside one full-length during a three-year stint in the late-90's, then broke up and basically faded away. Except for the fact that they were indeed loved by many (a good friend of mine was actually all over this record when it was originally released), and all of their material went out of print. So here we are, seven years after its original pressing on GMM Records, and the 15 tracks that make up "Nobody Laughs Anymore" are back out there on Bridge Nine, introducing an entirely new audience to The Trouble's brand of catchy oi/street punk influenced punk rock. Truth be told the bulk of this stuff stays very true to the framework of this style. I've never been a particularly big fan of this niche of the genre so I'm not gonna sit here and try to name off a few classics as an indicator of what to expect, but rest assured you'll know what you're in for if you've ever heard a solid street punk record chock full of short, mildly melodic punk rock tunes with gruff vocals and at times anthemic choruses. I'd say these tunes are a little tighter than average for the style, perhaps barely more pissed and with a good recording that maintains a rugged edge without lacking punch, but aside from the fact that the vocal performance is super energetic and these guys wrote damn good songs, there's really nothing glaringly original or creative about this material. Not that it matters, there's plenty of variety from the winding basslines and lighthearted, snotnosed sarcasm of "You Make Me Sick" (a Satan's Rats cover) to the more aggressive and hardcore oriented tracks like "Teenage Terror" or "End of My Rope". "Dead and Gone" is among the more diverse tracks in its contrasts of moody melody and vicious hardcore influences, whereas the amazing "Reckless" (so strong that it almost sounds like a classic cover song or something, it's literally that outstanding) is actually way more rocked out and reminiscent of The Trouble's hometown contemporaries The Ducky Boys - and the same could be said for "Youth is Wasted By the Young", which is another killer track with more of a rock undercurrent. An unexpected unlisted cover of Joy Division's "Insight" closes the disc and provides some potential insight into the breadth of influences these guys were drawing from, as they stay pretty damn true to the original as opposed to giving it a harder punk facelift. Nice. As mentioned the sound quality is fine. The guitars are a touch thin, but that fits here, and the bass really adds a lot of density with raging runs that drive a lot of the material, while the vocals are a pretty dominant force here - in a good way. The artwork stays true to the original, and all of the lyrics are included. The content is also pretty commonplace for the genre, though perhaps a little more involved, and probably a good indicator of why the band was so adored what with chants like, "We are the blood, we are the skins, we are the kids and we'll never give in, We are the blood, we are the voice, we are the streets and we're the bootboys..." I don't know, for the most part I don't care for this style of punk rock, for no other reason than personal tastes, but when it's done right I can hang with it, and this is a good record. It's nothing that blows my mind or strikes me as incredibly significant (aside from "Reckless", which is an outright incredible tune), but I'm a major supporter of keeping rare material in print, and this is definitely an enjoyable set of songs that stays true to a classic sound without failing to bring something new to the table, so... that I appreciate. (7/10)
Running time - 35:11, Tracks: 15
[Notable tracks: You Make Me Sick, Teenage Terror, Dead and Gone, Reckless, Youth is Wasted By the Young]
Bridge Nine Records - http://www.bridge9.com

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