Gene the Werewolf - Light Me Up
Release Date: October 20, 2009
Record Label: Unsigned
Imagine the party of all parties: beer kegs, far as the eye can see; Blake Solomon, lampshade on head and pants around ankles; fake breasts, yummy appletinis (easy on the tini), pinatas in the shape of genitalia, perhaps. Sorry Miley -- this is one party in the U.S.A. that you are formally uninvited to (okay, well Gene might reinvite you). This is old school jammin', sucka -- the type of party where a random celebrity from the 1990's you thought was dead is just kickin' it in the corner, talking to some hot porn star chick. Mr. Belding?! Parker Lewis?! Jonathan Taylor Thomas?! It's just that crazy where it could happen!
Now, imagine a party with Teen Wolf, Paul Stanley, Burt Reynolds and Barry Gibb all rocking out with Sammy Hagar, downing "mas tequila" and baring their chests to compete in a contest they like to call, "Who Exactly Has the Most Chest Hair?" Naturally, all the ladies in attendance swoon, and before the sexual tension gets out of hand... in walks Gene the Werewolf. Sexual tension, meet Gene -- he is here to cordially kick you out. Gene the Werewolf, also known as Jon Belan (formerly of Punchline), looks part wedding singer/part crime family's wild drug czar son. He's also the host of a party that is six songs long, Light Me Up, a completely over-the-top & ridiculous collection of songs that would seriously make KISS call Detroit and beg them to surrender their "Rock City" title to Pittsburgh instead.
"Come On I Gene" already showcases what to expect through its silly title, but once it kicks off with dancebeat verses surrounded by an arena-rock chorus... it is on. Till the break of dawn. Like Donkey Kong. With Rae Dawn Chong. In a mini... von? First single "Superhero" is lavishly massive and "Light Me Up" is a sexually-charged, hair-metal ballad full of harmonies that will make busty beauties quiver in their tube tops. "Make Love" is misogynistic, yet bubbly and wrapped in keyboard-laden melody; it sounds like Bon Jovi making music with Motion City Soundtrack. Producer Jamie Woolford (The Stereo, Let Go) knows how to fill in every crevice of the mixing board, and this is a party in your ears that will leave no speaker unturned or feeling left out. It may be destined for party mixtapes only, but damn it if it doesn't sound beautiful enough to make you want to actually call that girl you just met and slept with the next morning.
Yes, Gene the Werewolf is seriously strange and severely kooky ... but unless you don't have a bone in your body that enjoys some ridiculous moments of mammoth-sounding arena-rock, this band will turn you off by its album cover alone. Hell, on "I've Got the Love," Gene fully admits to being a complete loser ("I'm 31 and I still live at home ... but I can still make all the young girls cry"). Sure, his ego drapes his womanizing ways, but to paraphrase Barney Stinson, party rock albums should "start high and go higher." Gene the Werewolf is a party-throwing band who wants to collect more panties than All Time Low and gather more groupies than Joe Elliott ever could have dreamed of. Yet, that's kind of the idea: KISS meets pop-punk meets Michael J. Fox singing "Johnny B. Goode" while playing basketball as a Teen Wolf. Phew!
Light Me Up won't be winning any awards, but when it comes to throwing the after-party... count on them to bring it full-speed. Gabe Saporta, eat your heart out: you've got competition on this whole "party rock" scene.
Loved Belan in Punchline so I'll be interested to give this a try. Track listing is off here though it should be :
1. Superhero
2. Heart Attack
3. Light Me Up
4. Come On I Gene (ft. MC Lars)
5. Make Love
6. I've Got The Love
Or at least that is how Amazon MP3 and the Gene site shows it.
I was always hoping that there'd be a more Belan-tinted feel to the last Punchline album, but there were only a few moments that showed him off. I've already heard 3 of the songs, but hopefully this is what I'm looking for. Come to Iowa, Gene!
Loved Belan in Punchline so I'll be interested to give this a try. Track listing is off here though it should be :
1. Superhero
2. Heart Attack
3. Light Me Up
4. Come On I Gene (ft. MC Lars)
5. Make Love
6. I've Got The Love
Or at least that is how Amazon MP3 and the Gene site shows it.
I am probably one of the few who are disappointed by this EP, solely because I got to hear all of the songs they recorded with Jamie. They are sitting on a full length for some reason (I assume hoping for a label release) and my favorite songs did not make the EP. Overall it is still a great EP, I just know what they have socked away, and it makes me impatient!
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