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This
is either the stuff of which legends are made or a prime example of
how absolutely pathetic a human being can be. The story goes that
at the age of 18, Bostonian songwriter and guitarist Dave Pino wrote
a batch of 80 tunes in an attempt to rekindle a relationship that
had soured. While the prospective love interested was impressed with
his prolific writing, she still ended up giving him the thumbs down
sign for hooking up. However, any pop/rock aficionado will agree that
Pino's ex-girlfriend must have had pretty awful taste in music not
to dig these tunes. From the Attic culls the best bits from Pino's
hopeless romantic pursuit.
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If
Damone slit its collective musical wrists in a depression-soaked rage, they
would bleed rock 'n' roll with traces of raw punk and indie spirit. Chugging
riffs, arena rock drumming and blistering guitar solos appear throughout the
album. Fear not; From the Attic is anything but another round of white-boy
blues-rock. Did Stevie Ray Vaughan ever sing about BMX freestyling, carwashes
or hanging out at the mall? Could he? You're certain to fall in love with
From the Attic's phaser notes, slick vocal overdubs and sizzling six-string
work -- that is, unless you hate rock 'n' roll or were born deaf. Opener "Frustrated
Unnoticed" sets the tone for the rest of the album, jumping into the chorus
after only four verses. Noelle's empathetic voice breathes life into the love-stricken
lyrics, as Pino, Vasquez and Hengst play the tightest rock 'n' roll you've
heard in quite some time. There aren't any cryptic metaphors to decipher when
Noelle sings "I'm rockin' a BMX bike / I'm rockin' a muscle-head car / I freestyle
wherever I go / I don't cry whenever I fall." It's sickeningly good no-bullshit
rock 'n' roll. The pinnacle of Pino's songwriting comes a bit early -- three
tracks into the CD, to be precise. As soon as "Up to You" strides into its
initial chorus, you'll be sold. Noelle's innocent vocals build up until she
blasts her way into a delicious exchange of octaves and drawn out notes. "Up
To You" tells the tale of the young romantic who's seeking love's salvation
but is awkwardly unsure of how to acquire it. We've all been there and made
the stupid mistakes that come with the territory; Damone simply puts the quintessential
teenage experience to music, jerking you back into those uncomfortable years
of mall girlfriends, arcade flirtations and party line conversations. Pino
even inserts a ludicrous '80s flavored guitar solo that spits out a gazillion
notes in short order. Other faves include the pseudo-duet "At the Mall", Pino's
teenage on-the-job fantasy "Carwash Romance" and the concrete heartbreaker
"Driveway Blues". Each combines madly catchy choruses and razor sharp rock
'n' roll change ups to stirring effect. You'll even spot a hazy Cars influence
on "Your Girlfriends"; the muted notes and retro keyboards recall Ric O. shakin'
it up in his heyday. If you dig the other sex, hot rod cars or punky rock'n'
roll tunes, From the Attic is an absolute necessity for your record collection.
Put down that gun and twist the cap back on that pill bottle; you may be bummed
out, but remember, someone up in Boston once wrote 80 rock songs for a girl
and still got dissed. Did he bow out? Nope. He turned around and laid the
foundation for a kick ass album. |