We've Got Friends, Chicks, Guitars And No Beer: Bowling For Soup's "Fishin' For Woos" Review

InReview: Bowling For Soup's "Fishin' For Woos"

Bowling For Soup are back yet again to present the world with their 11^th album and it’s one of their best yet! ‘Fishin’ for Woos’ sees the Texan pop-rockers continue to deliver top notch albums showcasing their signature sound.

To be honest, Bowling For Soups last effort ‘Sorry for Partyin’ sounded tired in parts and I didn’t have high hopes for this release. However, as tracks off this record started to make their onto the internet early, I listened and loved them.  The new album is chock full of everything fans love about the group including party anthems and hilarious lyrics. Bowling For Soup have also taken a more serious tone on a number of tracks on this album; which emphasize that this is also their most mature album to date.  Tracks like ‘What About Us’, ‘Turbulence’ and ‘Guard My Heart’ all show how this band has developed over the years to include a more serious touch to some of their music. ‘Turbulence’ is a prime example of ‘Fishin’ for Woos’ with its acoustic guitar, sincere vocal approach and background strings. This track comes off as a very heartfelt attempt to connect with listeners and features the brilliant chorus: ‘ And We’re all just passengers tonight, And We’re all just travelling through our lives, We will reach our destination so just hang on for the ride, say a prayer and close your eyes. It’s just a little turbulence.’

Whilst Bowling For Soup have incorporated some serious songs into the mix this time around, they still haven’t forgot how to please long time fans of the band.  Bowling For Soup are renowned for their hilarious lyrics, catchy choruses, driving guitar rhythms, upbeat musicianship and overall ability to make the listener feel extremely happy. Jaret Reddicks gift of writing consistently catchy and comical lyrics is not something to be scoffed at. Eleven albums in and their song writing has never been stronger. Songs like ‘Let’s Pretend We’re Not In Love’, ‘Here’s Your Freakin’ Song’ and ‘I’ve Never Done Anything Like This’ are some career best songs, which is a very good sign for a genre that tends to get outdated and overly repeated. The track ‘I’ve Never Done Anything Like This’, in my opinion, is one of Bowling For Soups best songs to date. It features everything loved about the band, a great dynamic with female vocalist Kay Hanley, and even a reference to the rock band Tonic!

Bowling For Soup sound completely refreshed and have written some truly rocking songs which harp back to their ‘Drunk Enough to Dance’ sound. The decision to include more mature songs on this album helps to keep the band sounding new and re-energized. They have even written a song named ‘S S S-Saturday’ that hasn’t given a day of the week a bad name like Rebecca Black’s ‘Friday’ did.  After many peers in this genre fail to consistently produce quality releases, Bowling For Soup have bucked the trend and manufactured the possible ‘best pop-punk album’ of 2011!

Rating: 9/10

Stand Out Tracks: I've Never Done Anything Like This, S S S-Saturday, Turbulence, Here's Your Freakin' Song

Check Out Bowling For Soup At:

www.bowlingforsoup.com/

www.myspace.com/bowlingforsoup

www.facebook.com/bowlingforsoup



Your Not Gonna Paint Me Red: Michael Strong And The Ghost Anyway's "Black Room White Room" Review

InReview: Michael Strong And The Ghost Anyway - "Black Room White Room"

Although Michael Strong and the Ghost Anyway may have only had a short career thus far, it has been a career that has turned plenty of heads towards them. The band released their debut full length album ‘On the Outskirts of Logic Town’ in 2009 and received a large amount of praise from their local area. Recently they have been back in the studio to record a follow-up record and the final result is titled ‘Black Room White Room’.

 ‘Black Room White Room’ is the second release from the Perth outfit and builds steadily on what they already know, yet adding another level of sophisticated depth to their original sound. The lead track of the EP kicks off with a funky bass driven beat and mixes it with some rather haunting vocal work. ‘All Your Devils’ also features a prominent guitar riff which causes the listener to be completely drawn into the music structure itself.  For example due to the tempo and change in momentum heard in the second half of the song, along with the music’s ability to draw the listener in, you completely get the sense of falling. This sense of being one with the music creates a richer experience and leads perfectly into the next track. ‘Country Shopkeeper’ consists of a slow build up and Michael Strong’s voice used in a more natural manner. The earthy, country vibes to this song exude poise and show the listener how the musicians take care with sculpting their music.  After ‘Country Shopkeeper’ cools down to a nice finish, ‘Young Heart’ follows and yet again shows the band’s talent in another light.

‘Young Heart’ is the lead single of the release and is the most radio friendly. It’s a very solid track which is driven home by a powerful bass riff, warm vocals and a sing-along chorus. Hints of piano can also be remotely heard, adding another light touch to the song. More unique light touches can be heard on the remaining two tracks of the album. ‘River’ features the best vocals heard on the record; these stop on a number of occasions only to pick up stronger shortly after. However this song becomes repetitive towards the end of the track and perhaps could have been slightly shorter. ‘Revelation Road’ is the last track on the EP and the most musically deep. This song is the longest track on the release and builds up to a frantic yet beautiful ending. A guitar solo also sweeps the listener away towards the ending of the track, helping it to excel above the rest.        

Michael Strong and the Ghost Anyway have once again shown their uncanny ability to craft songs that captivate the listener and which makes them feel one with the music. I believe this ability to completely hypnotize the listener is a rare thing to find in music and only bands who persist with it become leaders in the industry. Future refinement and commitment by Michael Strong and the Ghost Anyway will see more boundaries being pushed and more doors being opened. Their unique blend pop-rock of has huge potential to cross into mainstream music, even if takes time for the majority of people to warm up to their music, I’m sure they’ll be cosy in no time.

Rating: 8/10

Stand Out Tracks: All Your Devils, Young Heart, Revelation Road

Check Out Michael Strong And The Ghost Anyway At:

www.myspace.com/michaelstrongmusic

www.facebook.com/msatga