Many an awful band have had a geographical location in their name. It's not hard to look back and see just how bad some of these bands have been. Europe, for instance; anyone remember Europe and "The Final Countdown?" I still shudder to this day when I hear the synth lines in that song. Efforts from America, Asia, Boston, and Chicago as far as I'm concerned, really aren't held in much higher regard. Possibly most annoying of the lot is Kansas, and their most well-known single, "Dust In The Wind," which is rousingly covered by Eight Fingers Down on their album The Joy Of Complication.

Chances are, you've heard this album before. You've heard it done by Face To Face, by Ten Foot Pole, and by the 47 other bands you and I could both rattle off with that same familiar sound. This album is just like when for Christmas when you distinctly told your parents that your wanted NHL 96 for the Sega Genesis, but instead you unwrap that paper December 25th to disappointingly find NHL 95. Sure, it's a decent substitute, but if there's better out there, why should you have to settle for a substitute at all? I hate to refer to this as merely a substitute, but aside from that cover of "Dust In The Wind," the chords, melodies, and lyrics manufactured by Eight Fingers Down sound just that: manufactured.

Maybe I'm not being fair here; maybe this band isn't Pavel Bure in the prime of his career, but like Trevor Linden on that very same Canucks team of old; there's hard work and excellent energy to be found in the confines of this disc. The heart of any mid-tempo punk band such as this is their energy; nobody wants to see some lethargic twentysomethings lazily strumming and barely singing, but this album gives sharp inclinations that this is a pretty energetic band. With that energy comes some snotty but infectious vocals, some interesting riffs, and good pace kept by the drummer. "White Light In A Waiting Room" has some great interplay between bass and percussion, and some more speed is infused than is shown in a lot of other places on the album. The members of the band work well together, and granted it's not the most challenging material for cooperation, but regardless the cohesiveness bodes well for the record. inclinations The band's cover of "Dust In The Wind" is definitely worth a listen, and though I found the original version of the song to be pretty boring, this new take on it, simple as it may be, is oddly compelling in its own right.

There's just not too much new ground to be tread in this style of music. For what it is, you can't knock the individual musicians' level of skills, or ability to write decent songs, but that's just not enough for most people anymore. Now if you'll excuse me, it's about time to get back to playing NHL 95. Bastards.