Search - Leatherface :: Horsebox

A Triumphant return....

06/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In many ways Leatherface is the type of band referred to as "influential", but that never receives the attention they deserve until they're long gone. Well, since reforming after a five year hiatus, they've certainly made up for lost time. Last year's split Lp and tour with Hot Water Music brought their old fans out of the woodwork, and has created legions of new ones. The first part of their career - from about 1989 up to 1994, was just the beginning of the legend, with this new album Leatherface is quickly cementing it's hold as the premiere punk rock band going these days. Having already created what has been heralded as the best pop-punk album of all time (1991's Mush), this new record doesn't cover new territory as much as it expands on the patented sound and feel of their past efforts. Despite some lineup changes, everything is here; the dual guitar attack, raging drums, tons of melody and Frankie N.W. Stubbs' unique voice (think Bob Mould meets Lemmy from Motorhead, seriously!). Founding members Stubbs and Andrew Laing stay true to the song writing structure and style which drew the band's previous cult status. The new members (guitarist Leighton Evans and bassist David Burdon) mesh well with the original members and even contribute songs of their own to the record which fit right into place.The record starts off with "Sour Grapes", a shameless pop song Husker Du would have loved to have written. From there the album blazes through to a cover of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" which, much like their cover of "Message in a Bottle" on Mush, puts the original to shame. "Lorrydriver's Son" continues with a poppy intro, followed by a heavy hook line that will be stuck in your head for days. "Ship Song", a Nick Cave cover, throws some piano into the mix, and highlights Frankie Stubbs' vocal talents while adding plenty of punch to the original. A couple songs ("Watching You Sleep" and "Soundbites") get lost in the mix - a little muddled and out of place, but the others more than make up for their inadequacies. It's the last third of the album that really shines, though - highlighted by "Kill DJ's" ("They hate the music they play... polishing turds in the name of records... I'll have to kill you"). The final song, "Box Jellyfish" wraps things up neatly with their perfect blend of "modernist pop with punk attitude".Horsebox is an album which will please a great many people - die hard Leatherface fans and new coverts alike. This new record certainly has the feel of a conquering hero returning, and it lives up to the promise which was left unrealized after their 1994 break up."

The Only Real Punk Band Left With Talent

millpaul | West Lafayette, IN United States | 01/10/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Leatherface are one of the most talented punk bands in existence. I have been consistently amazed by their work on every album. Everything hits hard in their songs, but each contain such subtle, intricate musicality that makes one wonder why they stopped playing for such a long time. About 5 years ago, I had a friend who said that Leatherface was her favorite band. I hadn't heard of them, and I couldn't find their stuff anywhere then. As soon as I found out they were together again I bought whatever I could and was totally...totally blown away by their records. Their talent is unbelieveable. What is even more unbelieveable is that every time they play the states, they almost always play first in the lineup. I would never want to play after leatherface, since their shows are the only thing better than their albums. I suggest to anyone wanting to understand what punk is about to buy anything you can from Leatherface, especially horsebox, mush, the split lp, and the soon to be re-released Last on BYO."

A maturation in sound

millpaul | 02/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"the fact of the matter is that mush is incontrovertibly leatherface's finest hour, featuring inventive chords, biting melodies, and an irestible energy that propels the album all the way from beginning to end. horsebox is kind of a maturation of leatherface's sound (and little wonder with the intervening years), and while some of the straight-ahead energy seems to have been drained from the band, they make up for it with more outrightly melodic songs that still manage to meld together a vaguely metallic guitar with propulsive percussion. there's more of a concern for variety in these songs than their earlier work, and the dynamics of the album are certainly more extreme than others, but there's an overall cohesiveness that makes this a very staisfying piece of work. i don't find myself humming these songs in the same way i do the tracks off of mush, but the best moments - especially the ripping opener "sour grapes" - make you sit up and take notice, especially as the tracks veer between quiet moments and raging slabs of sound. frankly if you're at all a fan of this band you really should own this record, but don't buy it expecting another mush. still, it's only mush's inescapable shadow that keeps this from being their best effort. finally, the comparison between this and new day rising seems especially apt, what with husker du's own dueling masterpieces."