THE LETTERS ORGANIZE

Dead Rhythm Machine

Nitro

6.5 / 10

Track listing:

01. Dressed up in Gatwick
02. Matador
03. These Words
04. I Want I Want
05. They Call it Rock N Roll (and other Lies)
06. Trouble Sleeping
07. There's Room for One More
08. Don't Move
09. Perfection?
10. Costume in the Corner
11. Song of Hope
12. A Book for Dummies
13. Operation Dead

Here we have a fairly effective fusion of punk and rock 'n' roll. The most appealing part of "Dead Rhythm Machine" is how quickly any one of these 13 up-tempo tracks makes you want to move, even if it's as simple as getting the 'ole noggin moving to and fro.

It's not at though these are somehow masterfully arranged compositions or cutting-edge musical movements. THE LETTERS ORGANIZE just know how to turn a basic beat and a killer riff into a tuneful song and rambunctious, punk-infused rocker. Does every song sport that end-all-be-all melody or possess qualities that will inspire generations to come? No. A handful of tunes hovers around the average mark, but none fall into the "dud" category. Album-opener "Dressed up in Gatwick" is arguably the album highlight, although I can think of a few more that are right up there. A driving beat, ripping guitar riff (and tough tone),and unbridled aggression get this train moving full speed ahead. Brent Jay's vocals on this track and the remaining 12 effectively move from raucous scream to a style that at times is not all that dissimilar from what Guy Picciotto (FUGAZI) belts out (just not as peculiar and more upbeat). The band mixes it up just a hair by incorporating a little boogie shuffle in parts of "Costume in the Corner" and peppering that punk attitude with a little stutter steppin' on "There's Room for One More". And if the chorus of a furious-paced "Don't Move" doesn't make you want to go a little crazy, then I'm not sure what will.

At 31 minutes, "Dead Rhythm Machine" fills you up without making you bloated. Any more and the allure of the band's riotous formula would begin to wear thin (and was getting close by the time I got to tracks to 12 and 13). While I'm not sure the album will have long-lasting appeal, "Dead Rhythm Machine" is still a fun kick in the tail.

Author:

Prev More Reviews Next

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).