Bullets to Broadway Drink Positive (2005) Red Scare

Nashville's Bullets to Broadway is a new band, yet the vocal section is no other than the members of Teen Idols, while there's also members of Rehasher involved, the band that had Less Than Jake's Roger on vocals. Let Roger be the guy who recorded this album, which led me to think this 8-song disc would smoke. Because if you checked some of my earlier reviews of both bands, you'd find out that I like them a lot.

In the end I have to conclude that there's indeed a very nice coalition between the faster-paced, more driving speedy guitars of Rehasher and former Teen Idols beautiful male-female vocal harmonies. I wonder though if Kevin's vocals were intentionally recorded a bit soarer and scrappier than in Teen Idol's days, because they don't sound as squeaky clean as in the old days. In fact, they reminded me of Ann Beretta a lot. Also, I was a bit disappointed in the recording quality, which actually was also my impression with Rehasher's album; it just sounds not polished enough, and although I'm not really into overproduced things, I think Bullets to Broadway is a band that would sound better with some cleaner sound.

But enough of the negativism, because there's at least 3 absolute beauties of songs on this album: "Stickin in the Middle" (which reminded me of Cadillac Blindside), "Paychecks" (a fast sing-along beauty with a catchy hey-hey input) and "Our Club, Our Home, Our Kelly" (a scene-friendly song with the dual vocals at its best in the amazing chorus).

I expected high things for this release, and most of it came through, yet I really believe that better things are still to come when these people spend some more time on their next release. Also props for Red Scare, a fairly new label that has had 2 of the best releases of this year with Teenage Bottlerocket and this one. None of them bring us new sounds, yet the best of the past.

(Hein)