Darren McLeod
04/13/06, 11:47 AM
The Sainte Catherines - Dancing For Decadence
Release Date: March 21, 2006
Record Label: Fat Wreck Chords
It's funny to think that upon reading The Sainte Catherines' biography before listening to their CD, the description of a "punk band from Quebec" brought only one band to mind: Simple Plan. Of course, their native province is the only similarity to be found between Simple Plan and The Sainte Catherines, as the pop with a slight influence of punk from the former is a sharp contrast to the hard-hitting punk rock of the latter.
The Sainte Catherines play a dirty style of punk rock with hints of hardcore and metal, bearing a resemblance to bands like Hot Water Music and The Bronx. They rip through twelve tracks in under 30 minutes, playing their songs as loud and fast as possible. Though it is a definite strength of the band that they can maintain their intensity throughout the album, it is also a flaw of theirs: there simply isn't much variety to be found within the 12 songs on the album.
That isn't to say that the album is completely devoid of unique moments or highlights. The opener, "Burn Guelph Burn," is a passionate track with great lyrics and an even better melody. The cleverly titled "The Shape Of Drunks To Come" features an excellent guest vocalist in the form of Tom Gabel of Against Me!, and "I'd Rather Be Part Of The Dying Bungee Scene" is a definite standout track, arguably the strongest on the album, with aggressive verses which compliment the rising guitar riffs found in the catchiest chorus within the album.
Their lyrics are unique in form, disregarding traditional structure and simply stringing together a number of related sentences and sentence fragments. They shine on tracks like "If There's Black Smoke Over A Bridge, It's Over," where the band poses a defence for their touring lifestyle: "Success is another word for greed. What you call 'wasting time,' I call 'working.' What you call 'working' is a waste of time. The dirty kids are changing the world tonight."
The times that the band breaks free of routine are when Dancing For Decadence really shines, but its a shame that they are few and far between. Still, that doesn't stop the album from being a pleasurable listen, twelve solid tracks that fans of gritty punk would enjoy getting their hands on.
Release Date: March 21, 2006
Record Label: Fat Wreck Chords
It's funny to think that upon reading The Sainte Catherines' biography before listening to their CD, the description of a "punk band from Quebec" brought only one band to mind: Simple Plan. Of course, their native province is the only similarity to be found between Simple Plan and The Sainte Catherines, as the pop with a slight influence of punk from the former is a sharp contrast to the hard-hitting punk rock of the latter.
The Sainte Catherines play a dirty style of punk rock with hints of hardcore and metal, bearing a resemblance to bands like Hot Water Music and The Bronx. They rip through twelve tracks in under 30 minutes, playing their songs as loud and fast as possible. Though it is a definite strength of the band that they can maintain their intensity throughout the album, it is also a flaw of theirs: there simply isn't much variety to be found within the 12 songs on the album.
That isn't to say that the album is completely devoid of unique moments or highlights. The opener, "Burn Guelph Burn," is a passionate track with great lyrics and an even better melody. The cleverly titled "The Shape Of Drunks To Come" features an excellent guest vocalist in the form of Tom Gabel of Against Me!, and "I'd Rather Be Part Of The Dying Bungee Scene" is a definite standout track, arguably the strongest on the album, with aggressive verses which compliment the rising guitar riffs found in the catchiest chorus within the album.
Their lyrics are unique in form, disregarding traditional structure and simply stringing together a number of related sentences and sentence fragments. They shine on tracks like "If There's Black Smoke Over A Bridge, It's Over," where the band poses a defence for their touring lifestyle: "Success is another word for greed. What you call 'wasting time,' I call 'working.' What you call 'working' is a waste of time. The dirty kids are changing the world tonight."
The times that the band breaks free of routine are when Dancing For Decadence really shines, but its a shame that they are few and far between. Still, that doesn't stop the album from being a pleasurable listen, twelve solid tracks that fans of gritty punk would enjoy getting their hands on.