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The Ergs!

Jersey's Best Prancers
2006
Don Giovanni

The Ergs! - Jersey's Best Prancers (Cover Artwork)


Review by: Brian
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Don Giovanni Records (Logo)

Published on April 20th 2007

With similarities to their pop-punk brethren the Queers and Screeching Weasel, the Ergs! could easily be filed by many as just another geeky Ramonescore band going through the motions, but with an odd sense of humor, silly candor and steady Descendents influence, they're really doing their own thing.

Last year's Jersey's Best Prancers (an obvious spoof on Lifetime's Jersey's Best Dancers that even goes so far as the front and back album covers) is a short and completely sweet seven-song EP that just about makes it impossible to overstay its welcome. While I admit the sugary crunch of Hunchback's Miranda Taylor had me convinced she was really Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer's Rachel Minton, her guest contributions all the same are superb -- the Ergs! play tightly as a three-piece but it actually would sound even more fun with her on the full-time payroll. She really peps up "Kind of Like Smitten" and "Fin," but it's not as though the Ergs! are terrible without her.

Nope, the Ergs! are completely capable on their own with simple, distorted three-chord adventures in the background, the occasional solo brought up front and snotty, endearingly youthful vocals leading the way in standouts like the aforementioned "Fin" and the acoustic-accompanied "Bridge." "Man of Infirmity" slows it down just a bit and offers a greatly unique tempo for the EP.

Oh yeah, Chad Price (ALL) sings on "Radio K." His role is minimal, but still pretty rad.

Yeah, the Ergs! have a shitton of releases in their catalog already, and yeah, this came out last year on CD and 2005 on vinyl, and I bet none of their albums/EPs are as anticipated as their new full-length, set to drop via Dirtnap in less than two weeks. But the brevity and cleverness contained on Jersey's Best Prancers are traits that should hook you into listening for a lifetime.

Kind of Like Smitten [1] [2]



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    Posted by Phantom_Maggot on 2007-04-21 19:12:47

    More people need to listen to Sloppy Seconds.

    Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, April 21, 2007 at 9:49 AM (EDT)
    My Score:

    It's funny that no one's mentioned that Kind Of Like Smitten is a reference to the (former) band Kind Of Like Spitting.

    Anyways, The Ergs! own.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, April 20, 2007 at 4:43 PM (EDT)

    yawn.

    Posted by etwiels88 on 2007-04-20 14:28:36
    My Score:

    Great band. NJ.

    Posted by baseball on 2007-04-20 12:30:40
    My Score:

    good band and good live the one time i saw them

    i like the Copyrights better though

    Posted by booker_pee on 2007-04-20 11:18:37
    My Score:

    one of the best bands out there right now.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, April 20, 2007 at 10:35 AM (EDT)

    the new record's freakin awesome

    Posted by morefills on 2007-04-20 08:38:41

    yup, they toured with MC Chris

    Posted by tenwestchaser on 2007-04-20 01:19:52

    Isn't this the band I saw open for M.C. Chris? I know none of you were probably at the same show as me but didn't they tour together?

    Posted by Ianw on 2007-04-20 01:05:04

    These broz are wikked nice.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, April 20, 2007 at 12:25 AM (EDT)

    Good CD, AJA is my favorite song.

    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, April 20, 2007 at 12:12 AM (EDT)

    "...Jersey's Best Prancers are traits that should hook you into listening for a lifetime. "

    Awesome close.

    - TREOS

    Posted by theonetruebill on 2007-04-20 00:03:18

    Kind of Like Smitten is one of the cutesiest fucking songs I've ever heard. Every time I hear it I go "awwww" in my head.

    And I love it.