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The Hi-Fivin' White Guys

Ate Songs (2006)
Meatier Media

Reviewer Rating:

Contributed by: Anchors
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on December 26th 2006

I support the high-five. Where as a thumbs up is creepy, and a pound doesn’t properly convey the desired excitement, the high-five is a great way to say “hey man, nice goal,” or “wow, I didn’t think anyone could push one little kid so far down a flight of stairs.”

I wish I could say that the Hi-Fivin’ White Guys' Ate Songs instilled in me the same sense of excitement as either of those actions, but the sad fact of the matter is that the White Guys brand of fast punk rock comes across as a boring substitute for what could have been. The songs rage with no true sense of direction, and a lot of what they try and accomplish comes out muddled and drastically different than I’m sure they were intending.

That may come across a little harsher than it was meant, as the three members of this band are competent musicians with a healthy amount of enthusiasm, but it’s all lost in translation. Even though the songs are all of reasonable length, I find my attention span fading by the second as nothing new or exciting is offered, or even hinted at as the record progresses. The vocals are raw and the riffs are just what you’d expect to hear from an unseasoned punk rock band, but where they fail is the lack of ability to turn those two aspects into something that actually makes you want to listen. They come the closest with “Empty Bottles,” the harshest song of the eight, but the youthful exuberance can only carry a trio so far.

I feel like the band have some truly honest intentions and aspirations, but just become a bit lost in their songwriting along the way. There’s some terrific riffs and vocal patterns on the album, but strewn too few and far between the album’s playing time to tie together what’s needed.

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Kursk (December 28, 2006)

this band is pretty good live, but i think they try way too hard to be NOFX. Cool guys though.

fattony (December 28, 2006)

I used to love Almost Live back in the day. I think I may have watched that more than SNL. I caught an episode a couple years ago and it was fucking awful. Still, it gets points for nostalgia. By extension, so do these guys.

piratasmuertas (December 27, 2006)

And here is the score.

piratasmuertas (December 27, 2006)

Score is for John Keister, Bill Nye and and skits in which dumbies were thrown off of buildings.

Almost Live made SNL look like high budgeted amateurs.

istapledmyfoot (December 27, 2006)

these guys are competent.

Anonymous (December 26, 2006)

Hey, does anyone else from the Pacific Northwest, specifically the Seattle area, remember a show that was on Seattle's NBC afliate back in the late 80s and throughout the 90s called Almost Live? It was a Pacific Northwest or mainly Washington-themed sketch comedy show that resembled parts of the Daily Show and Saturday Night Live. Anyways, on the show, they had a group of guys that walked around and give random people high-fives. And of course they were called "the high-fivin' white guys"! I know this would of course predate anything that reggie and the full effect has done as well, not that its related. Or it could just be a completley random concidence. Anyways, hopefully someone else from the NW besides me remembers that wonderful show...

Anonymous (December 26, 2006)

i always prefered "the good game"

Anonymous (December 26, 2006)

so they took their song from a joke band name that reggie nad the full effect used to use?

Anonymous (December 26, 2006)

I found this CD on the street before I saw the adolescents in boston. I think. That was a hazy weekend. Whatever the case is, I listened to it once, then through it away.

they've got a long way to go.