Waco Brothers - Electric Waco Chair (13 tracks) +Album Reviews

Not Cash, Not Clash...

M. Nichols | West Chester, OH United States | 10/18/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...think instead Matthew Sweet.

ELECTRIC WACO CHAIR is still the same old Wacos, delivering country and welshtern sounds from the heart of Chicago, but the Cash/Clash similarities are waning as the Wacos' sound continues to evolve. This release finds the Wacos wandering from the good old hellraisin' barstool-tossin' days of COWBOY IN FLAMES into GIRLFRIEND territory. No songs on the album have the speed and energy of their DO YOU THINK ABOUT ME ep and the album is nowhere near as muddled as the directionless WACO WORLD. Instead, ELECTRIC WACO CHAIR showcases a new (shudder!) maturity for the band. These Wacos are world-weary and wise. Listen closely and you'll find love songs. You'll hear lyrics worthy of Willie Nelson. You'll find songcraft developed into a (dare I say it?) pop sound previously associated with not only Matthew Sweet, but giants like REM and Wilco.

Hardcore fans need not despair. Your Wacos have not gone straight. And I doubt they'll sell enough to "sell out." They've grown, believe it or not. And as the y'alternative genre becomes overcrowded with many groups releasing the same album over and over, I don't see anyone standing taller than the Waco Brothers."

This is really incredible

berkshire_cowboy | Columbus, Ohio | 11/22/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Give me a break, how can a band be so good? I discovered the Waco Brothers via the Mekons/Jon Langford. I got 'Cowboy in Flames' and I was instantly hooked. I just got this CD about a week ago, so it hasn't fully sunk in yet, but I can tell you, it's a good'un for sure. Basically, the music consists of simple chord structures, highly effective pop hooks, clever lyrics, and country-rock instrumentation. You won't completely appreciate it until you actually hear it. "Country-rock" just doesn't do it justice. I don't know if a band could be more evenly and perfectly split between the two genres. For those already familiar with the band, you know what to do. If you like perfect, unpretentious rock with a bit of twang, get it now."

Cruisin' and howlin'

1000 miler | Centralia, IL United States | 03/31/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Picture this. You're blowing down the highway singing til you sweat as glorious sunlight streams in the window. Your passenger is bashing out time on the dashboard, as the CD's nearly exploding out of the housing. You can throw the rest of your collection out of the window as you careen around a turn.
OK. I know you don't have much time to read this so listen up. This CD rocks, the words have meaning, you'll sing harmony as onlookers gawk. Electric Waco Chair is that almost impossible to find CD that has at least six cuts that you would cheerfully have paid the entire cost of the CD for and felt privileged to have located. There are no lousy songs. You don't know which cut to play first because they are all great. You can listen to the whole thing straight through over and over and then sing the songs in your mind all day long. If that's not enough, we get to hear about Kankakee, Dubuque, Indiana, and the Fox River, Michigan, etc. Standing ovation for the North! I've got one more chance. Just seconds left to convince you! Hear and remember these words of truth. This is a fantastic CD. Buy it!"

Raging Cowboy Punk

James Carragher | New York | 03/26/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Remember from Clash's Sandinista album the song, kind of a throwaway, Hitsville UK? There's a lyric on it that goes "It blows a hole in the radio/Where it hasn't sounded good all week." Well, folks, that's Electric Waco Chair.I've always been a sucker for bands, usually bands on the fringes of obscurity with not a whole lot to lose -- Clash almost all the time to continue that train of thought --, who rip through every song as if each chord might be the last one they play on the planet. Aside from Clash and, going to country, think Ass Ponys, Jason and the Scorchers, the too-bizarre-for-me even 16 Horsepower, some Whiskeytown (If He Can't Have You, Too Drunk to Dream, 16 Days), even some early Mavericks (Mr. Jones, From Hell to Paradise) before they stopped taking musical risks. Solidly in that diverse group is where you'll find Electric Waco Chair. The amps are turned up to 11, the guitars ring, the drums lay down an urgent rhythm to the mix (listen, for example, to the tension the drumming adds to Walking on Hell's Roof) and the by turns angry and longing vocals (hear both on Where in the World) skirt but never fall into melodrama, even on slow tempo (but still loud) songs like When I Get My Rewards and Never Real. There is not a bad cut on the CD. Cornered is a bit draggy and Circle Tour is most noteworthy for likely offering the only pop music mention of Kankakee, Illinois and Grand Rapids, Michigan. But everything else is golden, with this six pack comprising my personal favorites -- Make Things Happen, Where the Mighty Fall, Jamaican Radio Obituary, When I Get My Rewards, Fox River, Never Real. Spring's coming. Get in the car, roll down the windows, put this CD in the player, crank up the volume and you've got great company for a fast drive into life."

There is something seriously wrong with a world where...

Dena Saper | Chicago, IL United States | 02/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"manufactured bands like Backstreet Boys make millions and a group as wonderfully talented as Waco Brothers is overlooked. Well, maybe not overlooked, but they are still considered a 'local' band. While I haven't been fortunate enough to catch them live, I hear they're amazing on stage. Anyway, this has got to be their best album yet with an amazing range of influences, from country to punk. Any fan of the Replacements earlier works should definately check this out! You won't be dissappointed."

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