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The Foamers’ self-titled, second effort is raw, unbridled British punk rock with a hint of hardcore punk and a slight smattering of ska upstrokes. Think early (and I mean EARLY) AFI with an accent, and, well, if AFI decided they needed ska upstrokes in their sound. I’ve seen comparisons to big influences like Choking Victim/Leftover Crack and Capdown, but it really doesn’t hold true in any fashion. This more or less sounds like something A-F Records would jump on like Michael Jackson at a Chuck E. Cheese’s.

There’s something about the production that really bothers me and thus kills the entire record. Maybe it’s the hardly-audible bass (the kick drum itself beats it out in places) or the overall hollow feel of the mix, but there just isn’t a sound of depth. The vocals get barked over thin little chord progressions and don’t leave much to be desired as a result. The melodic, driving riffs add nice touches, and the roots-reaching reggae (like the “Pub No. 1” interlude) shows a great attempt at sound expansion, but there’s a simplicity that the music fails to fall back on and a complexity it doesn’t reach within inches of. It’s like non-alcoholic beer - pointless.

I guarantee this band could wow the States with their still-growing sound by making a devastating full-length of ferocious, genre-bending punk rock tunes, but this ain’t it.

MP3
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    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, August 19, 2004 at 4:48 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    "Better yet... If Dillinger Escape Plan were still a little band and mailed you guys their under-produced debut with the exact same music as the stuff on their first album, would you bash it? "

    no, they would love it more because they would feel like they discovered a new really technical band before everyone else, because they are soooo original.... SOOOOO original.

    And for the foamers, they're pretty pointless, i live in the uk and have seen the foamers more than 10 times, but still, no one really cares about them and no one really buys their cd's..

    And for the person naming da skywalkers....fuck yeah!

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 at 8:42 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    I'm speaking more towards the Kirby/Inagreendase/Maverick school of reviewers.

    -BSD

    Posted by FortyMinutesWest on 2004-08-18 20:04:54
    My Score:

    "Better yet... If Dillinger Escape Plan were still a little band and mailed you guys their under-produced debut with the exact same music as the stuff on their first album, would you bash it? "

    That's pretty unfair. I've given positive reviews to lots of smaller bands.

    Posted by Crookedsuperhero on 2004-08-18 16:20:16
    My Score:

    Da Skywalkers are better than these guys.

    Posted by some1 on 2004-08-18 00:51:45
    My Score:

    of course they would.

    Posted by CrankWillDestroy on 2004-08-18 00:24:09
    My Score:

    Haven't heard this record but their first (?) album 'Six Pints None the Wiser' is fuckin great. Score is for that.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 17, 2004 at 8:13 PM (EDT)
    My Score:

    Pretty crappy... Still better than, say, Copeland.

    One thing that bothers me about this site is that bands that aren't hyped up usually get bashing reviews...

    How does production figure into a punk rock record? Why do you think it matters so much? Production is just for studio bands... Why do you care so much that these small bands record their stuff om 4/8 tracks?

    Better yet... If Dillinger Escape Plan were still a little band and mailed you guys their under-produced debut with the exact same music as the stuff on their first album, would you bash it?

    -BSD

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