Blueline Medic – text_bomb

I’ve been looking forward to this release ever since I first head Blueline Medic on their four way split with Midtown, Recover and Silent*Corporation (New.Old.Rare). And I’ll be honest with you, when I first head this CD I was slightly disappointed. It wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I was hoping to hear more songs like the Tori Amos cover they did on that split CD. But in fact, there isn’t one single track which resembles that song at all. The more I listened to it though, the more I began to enjoy it. From the starting track, Sleepyhead, to the ending track, Exit Strategy, this quartet from Australia have put a nerd rock (somewhat like Weezer, but in my opinion a lot better) album out with a never ending source of rocking music.

The vocals sound completely different from any other band I can think off.  Maybe it’s Donnie Dureau’s accent, or maybe it is just the way it fits perfectly with the music. The steady, constant vocals are always present in all 11 tracks, singing catchy lyrics and going in motion with the music.

The set of guitars used by Blueline Medic are always prominent along with the drumming stylings of Shaun Lahoar. Making jumpy, punk rock music, which gets your feet taping along to it.

My favorite track on the album is the first single and opening track, Sleepyhead. It starts off with a nice little guitar beat, with the catchy vocals coming in almost right away. The lyrics are the catchiest of all the songs from the album, and they make you want to listen to it again right away. Next is Cotton Oriental Pants, another one of my favorites. It starts off slower with a little drum solo, then the guitars and bass are soon introduced, around 30 seconds in the smooth vocals enter. This song, the vocals take a small backseat to the beat. The rhythm is much more evident and powerful. Although there are some portions with good vocals, including some parts with faint background singers too.  The ending to the song is superb. A fast paced punk rock set is used perfectly to close of the song. It is just an amazing song.

Upright is another one I really like. It starts off with a steady guitar riff with drums in the background. The vocals come in at a line a time for a while before they come in full fledge. It is just a very powerful song with very catchy vocals, like most of the CD.

The worst song on the album is track 6, Loss. It is a very slow song, unlike any other song on the album (The closest would be the ending track Exit Strategy, but that one is done in a much better fashion). And I really do not think it is a good piece of work by theses artists. Other then that, there is rarely a let down. Constant guitar riffs, blended in with drumming patches and steady, catchy vocals create a CD which I was not expecting, but one which I still enjoy.