Review Summary: The Album, GIRL, is a fun roller coaster ride, a musical journey, reminiscent of a trip to Disney Land, with happy characters leading you to scary boat rides, excitingly fast runaway trains and calm strolls through fun, childhood memories.
The Album, GIRL, is a fun roller coaster ride, a musical journey, reminiscent of a trip to Disney Land, with happy characters leading you to scary boat rides, excitingly fast runaway trains and calm strolls through fun, childhood memories.
Ever been slapped in the face by a girl??? The adventure starts with "Don't Wanna". Short and fast, exciting and full of tension, pure Rock N' Roll, it gets heart beating. Just like the beginning of any good roller coaster ride, it scares you a little.
The title track, "GIRL" starts with a mellow drum and bass to let you catch your breath. The lyrics in "GIRL" get you thinking, "is this album about one girl or many? Whoever it is about, isn't quite normal, but she certainly is interesting!"
The third track, "Glitter", is the first clue to Scary Cherry and the Bang Bangs' talent of writing a wide range of musical styles. This song could easily find it's way into rotation on any top 40 station. Warning, "Glitter" will get stuck in you head, and just like real glitter, it won't go away. The good news is it's a fun song that will make you smile. It will make your girlfriend smile even more.
"The secret, Frankie?" makes a hard left turn pinning you into your seat and causing your sunglasses to go flying off your head. It is a dark song, or is it? It seems slow, but the tempo is fast. This song is a roller coaster within a roller coaster. The lyrics tease of some hidden meaning. What is the secret? I wonder if Frankie is a girl. You get to breathe a few seconds during the bridge before taking off again on a wild guitar piece. The emotion is real and the guitar seems to cry, and build, and build, and then... It stops.
"Crazy Jane" needs to be listened to with your eyes closed because the story this song tells is vivid. Like a ride on a merry go round, this song goes round and round and up and down. I wish I could meet Jane.
If you are lucky enough to have this album on vinyl, you reach the end of side 1 with "Cut Off Your Head". It makes you laugh and say WTF! at the same time. A throw back to the music of the twenties, short and catchy, it will make you want to teach you grandparents how to use iTunes!
"S.T.F.U." could very easily become a pop anthem if it weren't for the language. It is what we all want to say to someone at least once a day! Imagine jumping on a trampoline with your boss or that lady going slow in the fast lane. You get to yell at them then push them to the ground. It's liberating.
"Face" is beautiful. The background vocals twist and turn and lift the song up around the lyrical melody. It's sweet and fun yet heavy and deep. Another girl I would love to meet.
Enough of that comfortable enjoyment. This is a roller coaster remember? "Get it off" is a straight up rock song, but it's interestingly arranged. You think "this is about to get heavy" and then horns kick in a melody. It's obvious this song is all about pleasure. With a trippy bridge reprising to a anthemic breakdown, maybe this song is all about extasy.
The guitars trade very tasteful solos and the song ends at the bottom of the steepest hill of this album ride.
"Anita 69" is not for the faint of heart. It's carnal, it's chaotic, it's rated R. A tip of the hat to AC/DC. This Anita 69 must be a lustful handful of trouble. My kind of girl.
The album ends with a piece titled "Tracked Down". Creepy. What kind of girl is this??? Close your eyes again because this song clearly depicts a scene from a pscho thriller movie. The song ends with a piano arrangement fading away into nothingness as if you stepped off the roller coaster and watched the empty ride continue on its way. The album is concluded as if it were a movie, hinting that there will be a sequel.
It's amazing to think that this is Scary Cherry and the Bang Bangs' first full length LP. Writing so mature, musicianship so unique, production so clean.
With the critical acclaim this album has already received, stay tuned for big things from this band very soon. And hopefully another exciting musical journey.