| U.S. Crush - U.S. Crush |
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| Music Disc Reviews Audio CD | ||||||||||||||||||
| Written by Dan MacIntosh | ||||||||||||||||||
| Tuesday, 11 April 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||
I know what you’re thinking. U.S. Crush - sounds like another punk rock band. Why does the world need another punk rock band? Well, U.S. Crush may have its roots in punk rock, but with their self-titled debut, they go well beyond the simplicity of this tired genre and prove themselves to be a kick-ass rock band. Natives of Newport Beach, California, U.S. Crush certainly gives a So Cal punk intensity to their music. Energetic songwriting, in-your-face guitars and top-of-your-lungs vocals are the stand-out elements of this album. The opening track "Bleed" kicks off the album with a groove that you just can’t help but to bang your head to. Much to my surprise, the powerful multi-layered chorus of "Bleed" gave me the impetus to believe that U.S. Crush is more than just another punk band. U.S. Crush is very much a talented rock outfit, with excellent songwriting skills and solid radio-friendly songs that are reminiscent of Foo Fighters and Third Eye Blind. The sound and songwriting here are very polished, with cool vocal harmonies and complex musical layers. Simply put, this album sounds BIG. The production of this album is on par with the top rock records being produced in the music industry today. It’s evident that the creative envelope has been pushed to make this band to sound as good as they can. The packaging of the album is also very cool. The liner notes highlight some of the "musician wanted" flyers you might see in a dumpy rehearsal space deep in the San Fernando Valley. As the on-again, off-again drummer for the AudioRevolution.com office band Ghetto Chicken, I have seen several flyers for musicians looking for "go-nowhere bands" and "hair-farmer guitarist with amazing chops." U.S. Crush definitely gets cool points for including some of these flyers within their artwork. The only thing that truly bothers me about this album is the hidden track. The song itself doesn’t annoy me. It’s just that hidden tracks on CDs are extremely lame. What, were you trying to surprise me with a track not listed on the liner playlist? This novelty should have been stopped a long time ago. Hidden tracks are dumb, next topic please. U.S. Crush may just be the most kick-ass rock band that you have never heard of. With a little bit of time, hopefully this album will be heard by many rock fans as well as by the punk rock kids. Like this article? Bookmark and share with any of the sites below.        |
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