Search - Urinals :: What Is Real and What Is Not

Let's not get carried away

J. Norris | Boston | 12/23/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Heaping accolades here for this album, a fact which i find a little surprising. The reformed Urinals are indeed unapologetically inventive with their punk rock, but the results aren't always so great as the other reveiwers might lead you to believe. This is a challenging album for two reasons: it is quirky and unusual (which is good), but it is also uneven, and contains lots of filler. It takes some discernment to isolate the successful songs from the failed expirements, and the results are about half and half. My favorites are tracks 2,3,4,8,and 12, and there are maybe two or three others that i won't skip past, but that leaves a lot of chaff to sift through. This album is good, but not great; interesting but not groundbreaking; and punk, but not always rocking. It sounds at times like a more abstract and distorted version of older R.E.M - which works well on occasion, but, not surprisingly, often fails to work at all. More traditional comparisons might include The Dickies and Gray Matter, but, to their credit, these guys are often difficult to pigeon hole. Remember, however, that not all new inventions are worth patenting. Proceed with caution."

Haunting

mystix42o | 11/19/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Vintage punk rock--an oxymoron? Think of something turned exceptional with age--not just the same old tired 1-2-3-4 vibe. Maybe the Urinals were never punk rock at all but occupied the same time and space and stages as Black Flag and the Minutemen, who you thrash fans wouldn't call punk now if you heard them. Maybe they are more about the dada of Duchamps. This CD has all the energy but none of the "All I wanted as a Pepsi" whine of vintage LA punk. Tracks that stand out, that have hooks and lyrics that bite, that'll snag into your brain like a cactus spine: Beautiful again; Skygrifter; Let a little dark into your heartMaybe this is really what it's all about."

GREAT NEW CD

glen | NY | 11/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those of you who like your punk smart and sharp (think Mission of Burma or reformed Television), the new Urinals' CD is right up your alley. If the talking heads had been better, this is the stuff they might have done. What made the Urinals great before is still here--great songs, well played, interesting structures and lyrics. The re-formed Urinals (with guitarist Roderick Barker joining original drummer Kevin Barrett and bassist/singer John Talley-Jones) add a great sense of dynamics and melody to the mix. Plenty of songs here--from the lovely "Beautiful Again" to the charging "Skygrifter" and the great title track will have you wearing out your 'repeat' button.Buy this album. A great band who deserves your attention--you won't be disappointed."