The New Breed "Port City Rebels" CD
[Thorp]
I'm not really into the whole "street punk" thing at all, but this Canadian band is actually far more tolerable than I thought they would be. Melodic punk that's heavy on the rock and uses fairly catchy writing tactics, often infusing nice little lead lines, etc. And they do have great vocals: Just straightforward gruff singing, but I really like his voice. They also break into some folk inspired mandolin passages in tracks like "Kickin' and Screamin'" and such, and believe it or not they do alright with it. None of the songs are bad, and I don't identify with their lyrics, but catchier and slightly faster pieces like "Whiskey" are really good. They even close with an acoustic "ballad" (I guess you'd call it), "Me & the Boys", and once more, despite the fact that I tend to dislike such material, they do pull it off well. The sound is pretty damn raw, but thankfully the mix is dead on so it works out. The bass is audible, the vocals are right in with the guitars, the drums sound nice and dry, etc. I'm not particularly bothered by it. I think the layout sort of stinks, but I'm picky as hell, so... It's mainly black and white with some red, and it does get the job done. I just think it looks a little dated and slapped together. As expected many of the lyrics deal with drinking, drinking, and drinking, that kind of thing. They're a bit more heartfelt than that, but you know, these cats enjoy the ol' drinkin' they do. Not bad. Not my thing, but not bad. If you're into this style of music I'd put money on you enjoying this more than I do. (5/10)
Running time - 24:09, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: Born Against, Whiskey]
Thorp Records - http://www.thorprecords.com

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