Red Collar

Red Collar: Welcome Home [12-inch]Welcome Home [12-inch] (2012)
Tiny Engines

Reviewer Rating: 3.5

User Rating:

Contributed by: JeloneJelone
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Published on September 14th 2012Red Collar's stellar new record Welcome Home recalls Bruce Springsteen's hooks and the Replacements' energy…by which I mean the album sounds like the Gaslight Anthem. It's a derivative of a derivative, but man is it good. The only real thing separating it from Handwritten is the dreamier guitar work.

Red Collar's stellar new record Welcome Home recalls Bruce Springsteen's hooks and the Replacements' energy…by which I mean the album sounds like the Gaslight Anthem. It's a derivative of a derivative, but man is it good. The only real thing separating it from Handwritten is the dreamier guitar work, but we'll get to that later.

The band even arranges the tracks like a Springsteen record, because track six/track one of side B, "Dodge K," is a total "Born to Run" moment: Triumphant guitars, big ol' hooks and a beat made to move the masses. Same goes for opener "Orphanage," a track that fires off a strong opening salvo before toying with some of the angular guitar lines that defined previous work Pilgrim. The Bruce is loose, but like many a Tiny Engines act, Red Collar still has this little thread connecting it back to post-hardcore, similar to where Restorations is going. This is the new Orgcore.

That said, the record has a couple stumbling points. Everything that comes out of frontman Jason Kutchma's mouth sounds rockin' and/or rollin', but some of his lyrics don't hold up upon consideration (example: "I think of lullabies when I think of home / A bible and ice cream cones"). Yeah, he's talking about his hometown (just like the Boss!), but the gravitas dissipates. While the band sounds absolutely fierce when firing straight ahead, they occasionally dip in shmaltz. Remember this: the differences between Born to Run and Bat Out of Hell aren't as great we like to pretend.

All the same, Welcome Home is yet another strong release from Tiny Engines, and one sure to push Red Collar in with the new crop of working class heroes.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

eatbicycles (September 17, 2012)

that still underscores how lazy the review is.

press releases are usually lazy/sloppy/overreaching, too.

chickswithdicks (September 17, 2012)

to be fair, the bands own bio/press release for the album does specifically mention the gaslight anthem, springsteen and the replacements, among others.

darthauctora16 (September 16, 2012)

This is a good record. But really, Gaslight, Springsteen and Replacements? Your review be damned. There is alot of beauty in Red Collars album, and this review minimizes it with LAZY comparisons that dont line up. No energy of the Mats, not even close. Red Collar has their OWN energy. The Springsteen thing...Gaslight thing...they have soaring pop hooks and sensibility. Red Collar does not that walk that line.
Learn to review a band without thinking it has to be derived from something textbook simple.

thisrespirator (September 14, 2012)

Also, Bat Out Of Hell fucking rules, go to hell.

thisrespirator (September 14, 2012)

Red Collar is good on record and all but I still can't get past how much better they are live. They just need to put out a live album/DVD combo, I'd probably never watch anything else. Even if you don't like this band, there's no way that you can't fall in love with them live.

MN_DrNick (September 14, 2012)

Oof.... fail on the Gaslight comparison.

This is their best album yet.

thepopeofchili-town (September 14, 2012)

Agreed that the two bands sound nothing alike. They have similar influences, but they do different things with them. Also, The Gaslight Anthem know how to write a hook.

ashtraymonument (September 14, 2012)

also, if the new Apologies, I Have None wasn't so mind crushingly awesome, this would be a top contender for AOTY

JasonKutchma (September 14, 2012)

"I think of lullabies when I think of home / A bib and ice cream cones" is not correctly quoted.

RockScientist1112 (September 14, 2012)

Red Collar sounds not at all like the Gaslight Anthem.

And Kutchma's lyrics crush Brian Fallon's drivel.

ashtraymonument (September 14, 2012)

this band is amazing. derivative of gaslight anthem? -facepalm-

schaumpton (September 14, 2012)

This album is fucking great. I really hope they get to tour more, because I am never in North Carolina.

eatbicycles (September 14, 2012)

They sound nothing like Gaslight. Not that Gaslight sounds bad. But a band sounding like Gaslight would be really bad because that would be shorthanding the shorthanders and making their sound really limited and shallow. Not Red Collar.

Husker Du. Billy Joel. Springsteen, sure. This band is awesome.

bastard_squad (September 14, 2012)

What a horrible opening paragraph.
I love this band and ugh. Why do I read your reviews?

exitenglish1208 (September 14, 2012)

best live show on god's green earth

Dante3000 (September 14, 2012)

ARGH I was going to review this. Damn my sloth.