Rob's Album Of The Week: The Front Bottoms' Talon Of The Hawk

So far in my life I have come to realize that there isn't a two piece band that I don't like, which I find kind of odd and strange. Ok, I take it back because Milli Vanilli was a two piece group and they were extremely awful and couldn't really sing. One two piece band that has really caught my ear lately is The Front Bottoms from New Jersey and their new album The Talon Of The Hawk. It has an old-school pop feel as well as having garage rock rhythms that I absolutely enjoy.

Consisting of Brian Sella on vocals and guitar backed up by drummer Mathew Uychich who isn't a stranger to using a bullhorn and a megaphone, The Front Bottoms have a catchy sound that always adds different dimensions which exudes immense creativity. One thing I've noticed about The Front Bottoms is that their songs remind me of a lot of British bands I know. Los Campesinos!, a toned down style similar to The Subways, and Standard Fare are very comparable to what The Front Bottoms have going on. Not to say that this New Jersey duo in unoriginal though, they set themselves apart wit the emotional honesty coming from Brian's lyrics.

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Three things are guaranteed in life: death, taxes and me telling you my favorite tracks off of my Album Of The Week. How about that for some wit? Yea, it's that time to recognize a chosen few while the rest will make you wonder what could have been. Sometimes I feel the way introduce this part of the blog could be used as an introduction to a soap opera consisting of the ill repute. Enough of me, here goes something:

"Skeleton" starts off with a groovy riff and then it gets right into the thick of it by being accented with some synthy keys. "Lone Star" is all about having a pregnant girlfriend and spending all you money to make things right against all odds. "Funny You Should Ask" has a lot of pop and the rhythms infect your feet, making them shuffle like a deck of playing cards. "Backflip" is the most intense song on the album, you can really feel that driving bass during every downbeat. So I mentioned only a few, this doesn't mean the rest should be ignored. Every song off of Talon Of The Hawk flat out rules.

The Front Bottoms will be starting a summer tour of The United States with back to back shows at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ on May 31st & June 1st. They'll be stopping at The Sinclair in Cambridge, MA on July 13th as well. Make sure to get to the show and make sure to grab a copy of The Front Bottom's Talon Of The Hawk, it straight up rocks.

- Rob Duguay