Sewing With Nancie

Yes, Fastmusic Records is back from an incomplete trip to the morgue, and has returned with plenty of swagger with this Canadian pop-punk trio SEWING WITH NANCIE. I like Neal, Fastmusic's owner, and I've always felt that his previous releases were for the most part good, but not quite strong enough to leave a lasting impression (with the exception of that AUTOPILOT OFF disc, that's just amazing!), but 'THE NANCIE as they are affectionately called, truly blew me off my feet. As a trio, these guys blast out furiously fast punk rock with vocal harmonies to gush over and punchy, gripping lyrics. The guitar work is sharp (not unlike NEW FOUND GLORY), but the RAMONES style / Mutant Pop Records style harmonies just drove me into delirium. And oh yeah, there's a song about former Toronto Blue Jays ballplayer, Dave Steib, clearly one of the most underappreciated ballplayers in years past.

One great thing about this band is the amount of song structure variety - no two songs sound all that much alike, and it's neat to see them shift from bubble-gum rock on "One-Time Use," to BIGWIG style punk on "On Your Mark," which is definitely a rippin' tune. Pop-punk can be quite derivative, especially when nearly every band out there is complacent with sounding just like their influences, but SEWING WITH NANCIE play with loads of enthusiasm, and a clear conception that their musical skills can hold their own when compared to the masses. If that's not enough to encourage you, there's covers of "La Isla Bonita," by MADONNA, and "Time After Time," by CYNDI LAUPER, which works surprising well in punk rock form. Being pleasantly surprised never gets old - check this out!