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Street Dogs - State of Grace
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So we're all sick of this supposed "return of the rock" that has been sweeping the nation time and time again. Odds are, you're getting fed up with any band with "The" in their band name. Hives, Vines, Strokes, White Stripes - it's like you're contracting some sort of uncurable disease with each successive band. Chances are that you never want to hear about another band "channeling the Velvet Underground" for at least another 10 years.

But wait! Before you write off this band into your "I've never even heard them and I hate them" pile, I plead with you to reconsider. The Realistics are not part of the B-team of nu-garage bands, each becoming more faceless than the next. Instead, the Realistics come out with guns blazing on this 7 track EP, showing you just who's in charge here.

The band doesn't ape the Strokes [or the VU, for that matter]; they aren't middle-aged men trying to be overly-hip [hello, the Mooney Suzuki]; and they're certainly not trying to summon the ghost of Robert Johnson [Mr. White, I presume]. What they are doing is taking the best parts of old mod bands like the Jam and early works by the Who and blending it up with the catchy organ-pop of early Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello. Think it sounds good? It does.

The rock on here really rocks [see "It's Alright, It's OK"], the slow jams really groove [listen to "Film Star" for proof], and the hooks that are dropped into each one of these 7 gems are enough to reel in enough fish for a small Inuit village for a year.

Okay, so that analogy was kinda weird, but you get my point - this is good shit.

The singing on this EP is top notch - falsettos drop in and out of tracks as easily as air itself, and it really pays off in "Why Didn't You Stay," an upbeat, organ-driven rocker that's over before you have time to even sing along. The band employs 3 of their 4 members as vocalists, which adds to the character of each track.

In a scant nineteen minutes, the Realistics have proved to me that they are the cream of this "garage rock" crop. They're not in this for the money or the chicks - they're in this for the rock. And let me tell you, they rock. Hard.

REAL AUDIO
It's Alright, It's OK
Angie

MP3
Tiny Avalanches



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    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, April 16, 2003 at 2:37 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Dont waste your money on these assholes~!!! If you want real
    music than go buy a Rancid CD,
    all the Rancid CDs are good so
    you cant go wrong!!!!

    -RaNcId PuNx

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, April 15, 2003 at 6:24 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    the mooney suzuki are horrible. just awful.

    Posted by CallingLondon on 2003-04-14 22:33:27
    My Score:

    "GO BUY A FUCKING RANCID CD YOU STUPID MOTHER FUCKERS"

    actually, Rancid is one of my favorite bands. i like plenty of hard stuff. i just bought the rise against album today, but one is allowed to like different styles of music. i also like the cardigans. gran turismo is an excellent album. dark as hell.

    Posted by evilmidget2 on 2003-04-14 18:58:10
    My Score:

    but the bell rays and greenehornes are totally the shit right now. i remember the fistful of rock 'n' roll volume 1 description of the bell rays : "if tina turner fronted the mc5 it still wouldnt be this good". theyre like this great fuckin rock'n'soul revival shit, total ly great music. its grimy and beautiful at the same time. pick that shit up.

    Posted by evilmidget2 on 2003-04-14 18:55:56
    My Score:

    are the mooney suzuki "big" now? i heard a few cuts from the realistics, it was pretty hot shit

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, April 14, 2003 at 5:59 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Or, if you want something original, you could buy a Stiff Little Fingers album or a Clash album... Then you wouldn't have to buy the ever-so-punk Rancid records.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, April 14, 2003 at 2:42 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Go buy a fucking rancid cd you stupid mother fuckers

    Posted by CallingLondon on 2003-04-14 11:46:39
    My Score:

    the new white stripes album is indeed an excellent album. possibly better than the last one. i'm going to check out this band.

    i understand people being sick of the "the" bands, but i'm kinda sick of people saying they're sick of them. i mean, most of those are actually good bands. that vines album, at i first listen i thought was terrible, but now it's one of my favorite albums. and the once again, the new white stripes album is top notch. i suggest everyone give it a listen.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, April 14, 2003 at 2:44 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    There's absolutely no doubt that The Realistics do indeed rock. But there was no need to bash on talented groups such as The Strokes, The Hives, and especially The White Stripes and The Mooney Suzuki. I mean, the new White Stripes album has been considered by many reviewers to be the best album of the century so far. And the oldest member of The Mooney Suzuki is 25! And they are by no means, a new band. Sure, these bands have hit the mainstream and I'm well aware of how "punk" it is not. But you can never deny a bands talent based off of how often you hear their hit. Otherwise, bands like The Ramones, MC5, The Clash and so many more would have been non-existent. So I would suggest not comparing cd's to an entire musical genre until you know what you're writing about.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, April 14, 2003 at 1:28 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    "Odds are, you're getting fed up with any band with "The" in their band name. Hives, Vines, Strokes, White Stripes"

    Hahaha yes! That's exactly what I was thinking when I read the title of this review.

    Posted by maverick on 2003-04-12 14:55:17
    My Score:

    To the guy below me:

    Try www.catapultrecords.com.

    -Scott

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, April 12, 2003 at 1:04 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    i've seen these guys live. great great show.

    does anyone know where i can actually buy their album/ep? i can't seem to find them anywhere and it's always sold out on their site.

    Posted by Yellowtrash on 2003-04-11 23:33:30
    My Score:

    These guys are good live although I cannot vouch for them in this album.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, April 11, 2003 at 3:56 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    "old mod bands like the Jam"

    They weren't really an "old" mod band... The 60's was when "mod" first became a recognized part of rock. And their first album is more tinged with punk than anything else. 'All Mod Cons', of course, goes into mod territory, but the Jam were hardly mods outside of what they wore in the pictures they took.

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