The BlueBloods – Death of a Salesman (CD)

A number of the clients that I Scream Records sign are either foreign (Janez Detd, Heideroosjes) or are bands that have been around for a long time or have members of veteran bands (Maximum Penalty, Stars and Stripes). To be a current act that I Scream has signed is nothing less than extraordinary. The BlueBloods start out their disc with “Dying Day”, a track that is tied into the whole Dropkick Murphies / Bouncing Souls type of sound, while the second track “Lots of Luck” adds a little more thrash-metal into the equation. Recognizable as a hallmark of The BlueBloods has to be the slightly-scratchy lead vocals of the band, coupled with a solid production and an arrangement that is beyond reproach. The tracks are ready for the radio without being created specifically with that audience in mind.

In the same vein as Virus Nine, tracks on “Death of a Salesman” are all short and feed into each other well; I fully expect The BlueBloods to cover “Stay Proud, Stay True, Stay Punk” on this album. The band climbs even further up the mountain with their “Left Out in the Cold”, which mixes a catchy chorus with an extended instrumental interlude that shows them as masters of both catchy punk and sheer instrumental virtuosity. With a bass line that breaks through into active consciousness for “Testimony”, The BlueBloods are able to go and add the final piece to their puzzle.

The track stands on its own not only for the smartly-repeated guitars that dominate the track, and not only because of the multiple-part harmonies, but because the band puts together all of its constituent parts to come up with something that is better than the tracks that preceded it. Something that may be seen as a weakness during “Death of a Salesman” are the few bits of dissonance that are present during “Nothing To Say”. This track seems as if the band tries to fit too much in the way of instrumentation together at one point during the track, but instead of being a weakness, this is a strength because it is not too serious and shows listeners that The BlueBloods are actually a band, instead of a computer program putting things together randomly. The band kicks out the jams with the greatest of ea, and creates their own sound amongst the streetpunk and Rancid-punk styles that have been on their way out in the last few years.

Top Tracks: Left Out in the Cold, Lots of Luck

Rating: 7.3/10

The BlueBloods – Death of a Salesman / 2006 I Scream Records / 16 Tracks / http://www.iscreamrecords.com / Reviewed 04 July 2006

[JMcQ]