The Severed Cortex

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Time-Fire-Earaches/dp/B000ILYYN0/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-1514635-5264950?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1185124818&sr=8-1

The Earaches sound exactly as their name would imply. Which is precisely what rock and roll should be; loud, in your face, and poorly played. The Ramones mastered this type of music and many, many bands have followed suit. Lets face it. It isn't exactly a hard formula to duplicate. The Earaches don't have any trouble with it either. But, in order to pull it off you have to have the soul to do so. It may be easy to play, but you can't fake it or everyone will know. Which, in my opinion, is why so many bands like this fail. They don't have the soul, fire in the belly, genuine love, etc. to pull it off.

The Earaches do. I shouldn't lead you to believe that The Earaches sound like the Ramones. They don't. Their Northwest U.S. influence makes them sound more like Mudhoney, or Meat Puppets, or even Nirvana. Basically they sound as if they were signed to Sub Pop Records circa 1991. While most of these songs do sound the same, they all have great rock and roll hooks, both of the guitar and lyrical kind. You guys all know that I love guitar hooks, but I'd have to say I was sort of grabbed by the lyrics more than anything else. It amazes me how something so simple, screamed at the top of your lungs, has so much energy.

You want a love song
You got it all wrong
You want some poetry
You don't even know me
I got no manners and I got no money
Let me tell you I'm no good for you honey
Not the kinda man, not the kinda man I am
--- from Not The Kinda Man I Am

Don't you know you're the source of my power
When you leave I get weaker by the hour
Don't you know I'm addicted to your touch
Don't you know, without your love I'm
Useless!
When you're gone
Useless!
When I'm alone
--- from Useless

Useless might be one of the best punk rock songs to come out in the last 20 years. When it starts out with Woke up late, on the wrong side of bed, you know it's going to be a good song. It took me roughly three minutes to figure out how to play it and now I can't listen to it without picking up one of my guitars. I'm sure that if I spent another 15 minutes I'd have the whole album figured out for at least rhythm guitar. Another 15 and I'd figure out the lead parts too. While every song on here is good, Useless is such a great song that I sometimes have a hard time getting past it.

Look, I'll be honest. There is absolutely not a damn thing original on this release. I can't deny that. But, it's done with such punk rock authenticity that it cannot simply be dismissed. Like The Earaches say in Our Own Thing, We ain't no puppets on a string, we're doing our own thing. It shows. It shows that they don't care if you like them or not. They like doing it. In fact, it really shows that The Earaches love doing it. There's something primal about punk rock and this definitely sums it up. Start with Useless, then pick up Not the Kinda Man I Am. Pretty soon you'll grab So Into You and then you'll wonder why you didn't buy the whole album to begin with.