Gregory Robson
06/26/08, 06:11 AM
The Expendables - The Expendables
Record Label: MRI Associated / Stoopid Records
Record Date: September 4, 2007
The Expendables are a four-piece band that try their hand at power-pop and reggae on their self-titled debut, however is only really skilled at the latter. Released on Slightly Stoopid’s record label Stoopid Records and currently touring with the band Pepper, The Expendables clearly have a foot in the door. It’s not one that should probably be there though.
For 16 tracks (yes, 16), the listener is dealt with the difficult task of wading through mediocre power-pop, banal pop-punk and slightly above-average reggae. Why this band chose to chase down the tired and trite pop-punk formula is anybody's guess. Skimming through the first five songs, it’s easy to see the band is unfocused and scatterbrained. The quartet mixes it up, alternating between reggae and punk, and on some songs, adding reggae verses to big, brash punk choruses. If this sounds like a trainwreck, that’s because it is. With song titles like "STD," "Ganja Smugglin', "Swampy," "Nasty," and "Burning Up," it's hard to take the band seriously.
With slightly average vocals, mediocre production and only flashes of real, genuine talent, the disc ends up murky and puzzling. One of the album's best moments is a live instrumental written for a fallen friend, and is preceded by one of the band members encouraging fans to "Shake it for him up in heaven," and it's actually one of the more honest moments, if not the most earnest moment on the disc.
Everything else feels forced, cookie-cutter and hackneyed. That is not to say that the band is not worth your time, if reggae is your thing, there are a few solid tracks here, and while the songs are mostly short, it’s a brisk, sunny affair, that never takes itself too seriously. One thing that’s most bothersome, however, is an in-studio track in which a band member admits that the song "is going to tear shit up." Oh my, haven’t we heard this before?
Just once can a reggae-influenced punk band be humble, polite and refined? Just once? Please? It’s as if there is a prerequisite to act childish. Unfortunately, that is the case here. Matisyahu they are not. Don’t look to the lyrics to redeem them either, as there's not a whole lot offered that’s provoking or probing. Though meager lyrics are probably to be expected, it’s a bit disappointing. With such a mediocre release, one would hope the lyrics would redeem or save the effort and they do not. Fingers are crossed that their next release will be a step forward. The talent might be there, but with this disc, the band is not living up to its potential.
Sublime, Pepper, ZOX, Jimmie's Chicken Shack
myspace.com/theexpendables (http://www.myspace.com/theexpendables)
Record Label: MRI Associated / Stoopid Records
Record Date: September 4, 2007
The Expendables are a four-piece band that try their hand at power-pop and reggae on their self-titled debut, however is only really skilled at the latter. Released on Slightly Stoopid’s record label Stoopid Records and currently touring with the band Pepper, The Expendables clearly have a foot in the door. It’s not one that should probably be there though.
For 16 tracks (yes, 16), the listener is dealt with the difficult task of wading through mediocre power-pop, banal pop-punk and slightly above-average reggae. Why this band chose to chase down the tired and trite pop-punk formula is anybody's guess. Skimming through the first five songs, it’s easy to see the band is unfocused and scatterbrained. The quartet mixes it up, alternating between reggae and punk, and on some songs, adding reggae verses to big, brash punk choruses. If this sounds like a trainwreck, that’s because it is. With song titles like "STD," "Ganja Smugglin', "Swampy," "Nasty," and "Burning Up," it's hard to take the band seriously.
With slightly average vocals, mediocre production and only flashes of real, genuine talent, the disc ends up murky and puzzling. One of the album's best moments is a live instrumental written for a fallen friend, and is preceded by one of the band members encouraging fans to "Shake it for him up in heaven," and it's actually one of the more honest moments, if not the most earnest moment on the disc.
Everything else feels forced, cookie-cutter and hackneyed. That is not to say that the band is not worth your time, if reggae is your thing, there are a few solid tracks here, and while the songs are mostly short, it’s a brisk, sunny affair, that never takes itself too seriously. One thing that’s most bothersome, however, is an in-studio track in which a band member admits that the song "is going to tear shit up." Oh my, haven’t we heard this before?
Just once can a reggae-influenced punk band be humble, polite and refined? Just once? Please? It’s as if there is a prerequisite to act childish. Unfortunately, that is the case here. Matisyahu they are not. Don’t look to the lyrics to redeem them either, as there's not a whole lot offered that’s provoking or probing. Though meager lyrics are probably to be expected, it’s a bit disappointing. With such a mediocre release, one would hope the lyrics would redeem or save the effort and they do not. Fingers are crossed that their next release will be a step forward. The talent might be there, but with this disc, the band is not living up to its potential.
Sublime, Pepper, ZOX, Jimmie's Chicken Shack
myspace.com/theexpendables (http://www.myspace.com/theexpendables)