THE CHELSEA SMILES
"Thirty
Six Hours Later" (Acetate; 2006)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
The Chelsea Smiles' "Thirty Six Hours" reminds me most of a couple of local bands that most readers will never have heard of (but should have): Slam Alice and Blue Line.
Slam Alice was a punk/metal hybrid featuring the punk genius of Fred Dixon and the metal wizardry of Jack Rickman. The combination of those two amazing talents created a sound that was half punk, half metal and half thrash (yes, I'm aware that's three-halves) and was 100% unique. Blue Line was an alternative punk band with whom Dixon and Rickman joined later that reveled in music simplicity. They, too, were a very unique band.
"Thirty Six Hours" reminds me of both Slam Alice and Blue Line for a number of reasons, the most important of which is honesty. "Thirty Six Hours" is pure, unadulterated rock'n'roll. The band is playing it as they feel it and their unbridled passion for the music is apparent throughout the CD. Another reason is the band's blend of music genres, combining the raw simplicity of punk, the slashing lead guitar of metal and the serrated edge of alternative sound to create a monster that -- while perhaps not as unique as Slam Alice and Blue Line - will certainly make an audience sit up and listen. Finally, there's the energy level which runs at a fever pitch throughout the entire disc. If this band plays at the same level in a live situation that they do on this CD, their shows must be vastly entertaining and thoroughly exhausting.
"Thirty Six Hours" is the kind of record we don't hear enough these days. It's a full-blown celebration of rock'n'roll that draws you in and gets its claws into you and you're so glad that it never lets go.
For more information, check out http://www.myspace.com/thechelseasmiles.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2006 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised: 14 Oct 2024 14:01:57 -0400.
