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Jersey

Generation Genocide
2003
Virgin/EMI

Jersey - Generation Genocide (Cover Artwork)


Review by: JiveSide
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www.jerseyrock.com (link)

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Published on March 19th 2004

The opening track to Generation Genocide, the latest offering from Canada’s own Jersey, reveals everything that went into the fourteen songs on this album: a common passion for Rancid and Social Distortion, proficient musicianship, a hint of American imitation, and a healthy dash of posed smiles mixed into the punk-type fun. Drum intro, repeated guitar patterns, sing along chorus, posturing aplenty, verse-chorus-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-‘guitar solo’-repeated chorus-sudden rock ending, everything that makes for a punk hit. “This Town” is a solid track among many hundreds of punk tunes just like it, and one of the best moments on Generation Genocide. The music of Jersey is tried punk rock at medium volume and mildly stylized, which is unfortunate because Jersey are four talented rock musicians who seem to enjoy what they do quite a bit. Singer/guitarist Greg Taylor spits his melodies like a veteran, but the lyrical content is less than inspiring covering fictitious accounts of tough guy tales and creative uses of the word “war” spun into self-help speeches, and the music of Jersey is just too damn assuring and optimistic to come across as anything tough, or dare I say, punk.

One thing I can say about Jersey that singles them out from most pop-punk outfits is the decision to write and perform songs at different tempos and feels, an extremely fresh breath of fresh air in a monotonous scene of rhythmically challenged rock and rollers. There is a flow to this record, there appears to be a plan of some sort rather than a collection of songs, and to this I give the critical thumbs-up, but the imagination is not present to make this Canadian export more interesting than the next. The chops of Greg Taylor, Johnny Lubera (bass/vocals), Sean McNab (guitar/vocals), and Jordan Hastings (drums/vocals) make them better than most, but anthemic moments such as, “Raise your fist and fight/Face your fears and rise/Fall? No Way!/Violation Detonation” from “Violation Detonation” make this record almost silly and a parody of itself, obviously not the intention here, which is most unfortunate. With clean production and energized playing, the weakness here is almost solely the lyrics. Songwriting aside, for “Crossfire”, the throw-away “Interlude”, and “Lessons” are too sugar sweet without words, the remainder of the songs are solid without the lyrics. “Violation Detonation”, “This Town”, “One Way St”, “Shop Floor”, and “Richmond Resurrection” are fairly exciting in their instrumentation. But with lyrics such as, “I felt your heat, and I felt it colder than ice/Like your red glazed eyes burning in the back of my head/You feed and twist until I fall and I fall/Into the black scarred skies and your bloody sunrise” from “Richmond Resurrection” and, “Tonight’s the night we’ve gotta do it right!/The clock strikes 12 the sun’s gone down/The party rises up, risin’ up in Burlington/Saturday Night, reminisce and renegade. We’re on a mission to no submission/The Brigade, the youth is on the loose tonight we gotta do it right!” What exactly they are constantly rising to is unknown, and if they wish to go against the grain and put the man in his place, they need to stop making music the man would actually feel safe listening to.

Jersey makes fun, unassuming, and unchallenging punk rock perfect for those who like a flash in the pan, but this band has been around just shy of ten years which tells me they enjoy what they do and how things are done in their band. Relevancy is of no importance and greatness is not the goal. This is simply safe rock and roll that will sell tickets and put a smile on everyone’s face, and there’s nothing wrong about this, but there’s also nothing dangerous about it either.






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    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 at 7:16 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    I lost respect for Jersey when I bought the CD and due to the copy protection they put on it my MP3/CD player won't even read it. It's the only CD that does this to me. Thanks Jersey now I have an excuse to go and download all your albums instead of buying them.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, March 22, 2004 at 5:11 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    I like them, and the single is not bad

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, March 22, 2004 at 12:42 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    meh...good musicians (Greg Taylor was one of the best parts of Grade), but this album doesn't do it for me.

    Posted by mikeinflames on 2004-03-21 23:14:57
    My Score:

    i think you're thinking of hamilton
    the majority of burlington is upper middle class
    it's 100% suburb

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 21, 2004 at 6:56 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    is burlington actually upper class?

    from what i understand a couple of them did/still do (?) work in some sort of metal factory or something. i'm unsure. i never knew that burlington was considered upper class.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 21, 2004 at 2:02 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    The 'and' after create should be: 'not'

    '...create not capitilize.'

    --Bing Crosby

    P.S. Don't you hate that when you're ranting and raving and screw up punctuation or put the wrong word, thus lowering the impact? Well..I do.

    Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 21, 2004 at 1:59 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    How the fuck can anyone say Jersey are proficient musicians? Honestly, how hard is it to play power chords and fucking 4/4 beats. There's lot's of good bands who do only that, (Jersey is not one of those good bands), but I wouldn't call them proficient. Usually they're just good songwriters or whatever. Again, Jersey is not. Everything good about music has been sucked from Jersey and you are left with boring and empty rip-off's of bands that helped create and capitilize.

    --Bing Crosby
    'Be sure to dress as punk as possible!'
    Fuck you.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 20, 2004 at 8:35 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    worthless.
    less than nothing.

    They had something going for them back when Sarah was in the band, and they played the genre de jour of that period, ska.

    But then then greg decided he didn't want to share any spotlight, and they'd be better off doing Ann Beretta covers and dressing up all "working class" to hide the fact they're from an upper-class toronto suburb.

    Outspan and Grade broke up, but THIS shit and that somehow hollow band remain?
    fuck that.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 20, 2004 at 5:33 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    are you jimmy ray?

    haha, perfect

    Posted by inanechild on 2004-03-20 17:26:56
    My Score:

    I saw them live once. Horrible. They asked the kids to come to their next video shoot, and be sure to "dress as punk as possible." Hmm.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 20, 2004 at 5:15 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    this band is shitty.
    i think i've had to see them 10 times.

    i liked the first album whatever it was called. with the glockenspiel(?) song. but that full length on fueled by ramen sucks.

    i think they used to be a lot better when sara was in the band and i think they should have given her main vocal duties and i'm sure she could have written better lyrics than greg.

    the only good thing about this band is the connections to grade when they were good and outspan.

    fuck me.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, March 20, 2004 at 11:27 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    So they blew you?

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 19, 2004 at 10:04 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Jersey is one of the most underrated bands around. I got this cd back in August when it was released in Canada(ordered it online). It's ridiculous that it hasn't been released in the U.S.

    I've seen Jersey live twice. The first time was back when they had the chick(she was hot)....and they blew me away then. Then the second time I saw them was with Anti Flag at the Roxy and I think me and my friend were the only ones in there that had heard them before.....they were amazing, one of the best sounding live bands around.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 19, 2004 at 6:24 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    I really like this band. They have a bit of a street edge to it, but all the songs are fun

    Posted by inagreendase on 2004-03-19 17:38:44
    My Score:

    "

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 19, 2004 at 4:56 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    American immitation?
    -BSD

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 19, 2004 at 4:54 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    5 next album titles for Jersey:

    1) Riot Revolution
    2) Sickness Society
    3) Carnage Conspiracy
    4) Nation Narcissistic
    5) Krispy Krunch

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 19, 2004 at 3:27 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Canada's own Jersey?

    copycats...

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 19, 2004 at 3:25 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Hey Aubin if they're going to choose a band to sound like, at least they choose one of the best.

    Posted by ilikebandssuchasopivy on 2004-03-19 14:50:02
    My Score:

    http://www.punkrocks.net/display_review.php?id=742

    Haha..

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 19, 2004 at 2:21 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    I thought this album was great. It's still a solid punk album. Yes, it's a punk album. I liked the Definition EP alot more though. Jersey just needs another tour with a huge punk band.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 19, 2004 at 1:48 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Is this the first time this album has gotten reviewed on this site? I bought this record back in August. This record is really good. And, when I seen them live with D.O.A in Toronto a couple of weeks ago they were great. Johnny's a really solid bass player.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 19, 2004 at 1:46 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    are you jimmy ray?

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 19, 2004 at 1:35 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    I think I'm the only one who likes this band.

    -sickboi
    (but they already sound like Ann Beretta and do a song called "Richmond Ressurection?)

    Posted by mikeinflames on 2004-03-19 10:53:37
    My Score:

    Jersey are from burlington ... and so am I
    I remember going to see these guys at local shows years ago ... back when they had the chick in the band (i forget her name)
    anyways ... they sucked then and they still suck now

    Posted by aubin on 2004-03-19 09:48:54
    My Score:

    I quite enjoyed Kevin's review of this record. It's... very concise.

    http://www.punkrocks.net/display_review.php?id=742

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 19, 2004 at 2:38 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    They only bring more shame to our Canadian nation.

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