Rock Kills Kid

Rock Kills Kid: Are You Nervous?Are You Nervous? (2006)
Warner Music Group

Reviewer Rating: 1.5

User Rating:

Contributed by: AnchorsAnchors
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on August 25th 2006Fuck you, 1980s. I mean that. I've heard enough music from bands trying to emulate that new wave garbage to last me seven lifetimes. The inevitable comparison here, the Killers, are just the tip of the iceberg. Sadly, underground music is seemingly filling to the brim with bands riding this tren.

Fuck you, 1980s. I mean that.

I've heard enough music from bands trying to emulate that new wave garbage to last me seven lifetimes. The inevitable comparison here, the Killers, are just the tip of the iceberg. Sadly, underground music is seemingly filling to the brim with bands riding this trend, and it's a sad, sad thing to see.

Rock Kills Kid is just another of the myriad of bands who listened to way too many Duran Duran records, and thought that style would stand up now in 2006. No, no it does not. Had I been old enough to listen to music in 1986, I probably wouldn't have liked it then either. Seems everyone who champions this style cites it as being "so catchy dude" or "infectious." I find it to be neither. No, quite the contrary, I actually find it to be all kinds of boring and no kinds of redeeming.

And while I can tell you that this bashing is warranted, remarkably, the band does succeed in one area. They're able to create a very solid musical atmosphere. The guitars sound straight out of a Cure record, and the overall feeling taken from the album is one of sorrow, a motif they are clearly trying to portray. So in that right, they're successful. The music sounds crisp and the harmonies enjoyable, on the non-dance oriented tracks, anyhow. Unfortunately for all involved, the majority of songs are those geared towards dance, and while the atmosphere still does fit the style, the style still sucks. Leading off with "Paralyzed," a song centered on the same repetitive mix of deep bass and bass drum, you know pretty much what you're in for. The staggered melodic riffing is in time with the start-and-stop vocal delivery, and the chorus is repeated ad nauseum. Not unusual for this style of music, but annoying just the same.

The style is unfortunate, because you really get the feeling from these songs that the band members are capable of something better, and, at very least, something different. I'd much rather have them try and be the Cure than try and be Duran Duran. But regardless, that's not the direction that was gone with.

Here's to hoping this style will pass, much like the awful decade that spawned it.

Login to rate this album

People who liked this also liked:

Please login or register to post comments.What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?

Share your opinion by posting comments on the stories that interest you
Rate music and bands and help shape the weekly top ten
Let Punknews.org use your ratings to help you find bands and albums you might like
Customize features on the site to get the news the way you want.

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

Amsteel (May 11, 2008)

I've never listened to this band once, so you ask... why am I commenting?

Well, I read your review and I couldn't help but notice the major bias.

If you don't like the whole genre of music this is in, you shouldn't be fit to write a review.

Reviews should be written by people who like the genre and can see if that band can stand among the best bands of that genre.

You wouldn't see me writing a review for 50 Cent, because although I hate his music, I also hate the genre and thus don't know what is truly good in the genre, he may be the best there is.

I probably wouldn't like this band either, but fans of similar bands to them my find them great.

Jesse (August 28, 2006)

I WISH bands sounded like Duran Duran. They all try to sound like the Cure or the Thompson Twins instead. If we had another hit factory giving me gems like "Rio" or "Hungry Like the Wolf" I'd be all over the trend.

TheMarc (August 28, 2006)

Score is for forgetting to log in!

Anonymous (August 28, 2006)

I saw this in a used bin today. Enough said.

leftoverbud (August 28, 2006)

Its also possible that tastes do change, and unfortunately, their tastes turned to dance punk. its definitely possible, i mean I don't listen to all the same bands I did 5 years ago, hell, even 3.

but I'm not here to defend them because i don't really care, but that ep they had out a long time ago was fucking sick. I'll prolly never hear this.

I do like Franz Ferdinand though, not like really huge into them but every once in a while its a good listen.

GreenVandal (August 27, 2006)

I posted without reading all of Anchors' rant, and I have to say that it was quite humorous. Lets pretend that all the bands you are listing are "screamo" or whatever fucking word you like to say. The split that rkl is speaking of in the hardcore scene occured when bands like The Rites of Spring took a stance against violence in hardcore music. They maintained the intensity of hardcore, but made it more emotionally charged music rather than shit to get your mosh on to. Post hardcore split off from regular old hardcore and now you refer to it as screamo.

The word emo was made up by the music press at the time. A catch phrase to sum up the newest underground fad for the masses. Somewhere along the line, pop rock became emo, and scream got tacked on so people knew that...well, it was emotional screaming music! (rather then the regular old whiny kind)

So in conclusion, Screamo is a word that got made up by magazines like rolling stone to label something they didn't understand and it does indeed have its roots in the split between tough guy and emotive hardcore.

GreenVandal (August 27, 2006)

and if ANY of you knew anything about REAL ScReAmO you would know its just a retarded genre name that doesn't mean anything. There is no such thing as screamo. The internet made it up. If someone tells me that the Rites of Spring or Hot Cross are TRUE SCREAMO one more fucking time I will rape their mother and their father and make their little sister watch.

The word of the day is post hardcore.

Anchors (August 27, 2006)

Please, please, keep bringing up the age comment from the other review a week ago. It's definitely relevant in any conversation, and does not at all make you look petty and clueless.

And if you did know anything about screamo, you'd know that it "filling the brim" of music is completely unfounded, and really just straight up dumb. How many prominent screamo bands are around today, like 3? La Quiete, Funeral Diner, Amanda Woodward. That's about it. The european screamo scene is flourishing, the US scene is floundering. ADIBAW changed styles, Wow Owls! broke up, Yaphet Kotto, Welcome To The Plague Year, and Cowboys Became Folk Heroes don't even play shows anymore. Any good American screamo existed in the mid to late 90's. Not anymore. So clearly, you don't know half as much as you'd erroneously try and project.

Lastly, what split off? Screamo never split off hardcore. Screamo split off from bands like Indian Summer and Clikitat Iwotaki, who split off bands like Embrace and Rites of Spring, who came from the punk scene, not the hardcore one. Whatever "experience" you seem to think you have obviously isn't too deeply rooted in any sort of fact or historical accuracy.

But please, don't let any of this deter you from continuing to contribute such a wealth of intelligence and insight to my reviews every week.

Anonymous (August 27, 2006)

JTE, JTE, JTE, JTE, JTE, JTE, JTE, JTE, JTE, JTE, JTE, JTE, JTE, JTE, JTE, JTE, JTE, JTE, JTE !!
Bring back the Jeff Tucker Extravanganza !!
Hail to my compadres out there !

rkl (August 27, 2006)

Posted by Anchors on 2006-08-25 13:56:04

Posted by rkl on 2006-08-25 10:15:09
"Sadly, underground music is seemingly filling to the brim with bands riding this trend, and it’s a sad, sad thing to see."
funny, one could say the same thing about screamo.

Yeah, because there's so many screamo bands around today. What you're referring to isn't screamo at all, so just shut up.

the wit & "wisdom" of anchors!
ill be here all week, folks.

but seriously, thanks to your age revelations, ill make one of my own. ive got about 6 years on you, and therefore, feel im a bit better inclined to know what screamo is, etc. you know, since i actually experienced the hardcore scene and its split off?

i suppose you come from the school of thought that says "reading trumps experience."
that school of though is for kids too scared to leave the house. have fun being a self-righteous ass. ;)

Anonymous (August 26, 2006)

the jeff tucker extravaganza!

otter (August 25, 2006)

They suck. I like the bad religion sounding ep

SlowStupidHungry (August 25, 2006)

"Yeah, because there's so many screamo bands around today. What you're referring to isn't screamo at all, so just shut up."

What you're referring to isn't new wave, either, so I guess you guys can break even!

Kursk (August 25, 2006)

what the fuck happened to this band? Why is Fearless even still remotely supporting them? Whatever float's your boat I guess, you can put shit on record and play it and smear it all over everything I guess.

Anonymous (August 25, 2006)

the keyboard player and bass player used to be in melodic punk bands (Trigger and Slimer), then a jimmy eat world clone called BrightLife, then now a Killers clone. its pretty clear they just want to make money playing whatever music is popular. i have no respect for this band.

Anchors (August 25, 2006)

Meant to end those italics after 'so,' but you get the idea.

Anchors (August 25, 2006)

Posted by rkl on 2006-08-25 10:15:09
"Sadly, underground music is seemingly filling to the brim with bands riding this trend, and it’s a sad, sad thing to see."
funny, one could say the same thing about screamo.

Yeah, because there's so many screamo bands around today. What you're referring to isn't screamo at all, so just shut up.

arrhythmia (August 25, 2006)

If you live in NY, stuff like this is overkilled. Really bad. Almost every CBGB show has these new teen/young-adult bands, and they all sound the same. That, or garage punk. It's terrible.

Also, he used "myriad" correctly.

FatTony (August 25, 2006)

"you used "myriad" the wrong way"

Not really. From dictionary.com:

Usage Note: Throughout most of its history in English myriad was used as a noun, as in a myriad of men. In the 19th century it began to be used in poetry as an adjective, as in myriad men. Both usages in English are acceptable.

Anyway, I find this album enjoyable, and I don't care what you say. They're better than most of their trend-riding peers, at least.

bears_love_tacos (August 25, 2006)

you used "myriad" the wrong way

rkl (August 25, 2006)

Sadly, underground music is seemingly filling to the brim with bands riding this trend, and it’s a sad, sad thing to see.
funny, one could say the same thing about screamo.

kirbypuckett (August 25, 2006)

Sickboi is amped!

- Kirby

historypeats (August 25, 2006)

These guys used to be pop-punk/emo. Now they're Killers knock-offs.

I'm fine with bands changing their styles if they want. However, if you change your sound so that you fit snugly into the genre-of-the-moment, you had better do so in a way that makes you one of the genre's best bands. "Are You Nervous?" fails to do so.

(And so does what I've heard of the new Sugarcult album - I understand that pop-punk isn't the most original style out there, but there's no reason to switch genres when you aren't good at the new style.)

GlassPipeMurder (August 25, 2006)

take note New Found Glory, the crappy dance-garage sound is on its way out.

Anonymous (August 25, 2006)

i was going to say something about these guys completely changing their sound in the past couple of years but i think scruffy managed to cover that pretty well. i honestly thought i remembered them being a pop-punk/emo band but aparently i was mistaken. they have been playing this style of gang of four rape all along, isn't that what you guys want everyone to think?

ILOVESCOTT (August 25, 2006)

i cant comment on this record because i've never heard it, but their ep on fearless wasnt bad at all.

Scruffy (August 25, 2006)

Remember when this band sounded like a horrible Bad Religion clone? Yeah, they think you will, too. That's why their article in Rolling Stone a few months back is all about how they started writing 80s inspired dance punk well before Franz Ferdinand and The Killers and everyone made it the next big thing. They just want you to know, they're totally not selling out, and this huge about-face in sound just happened to land them right in the middle of the hottest sound in the US right now, but it was an accident. It's totally pure and what they would be writing anyway.
Riiiiiiiiiight.