Posted on: December 5, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The 101 starts out “Green Street” with a more sedate version of the Replacements with their “Never In”. However, the three-piece ensures that when music is being played on this disc, all parts are immediately noticeable – especially Ben’s bass, which sounds are timeless and fresh as “When I Reach For My Revolver”. “Wolf” uses the same omnipresent nature of each instrument to further Eric’s Michael Stipe meets Phil Collins style of vocals, through a noisy, jangling mass (some may say wall) of sound. What is immediately noticeable about the tracks on “Green Street” is the denseness enjoyed by each and every song. Who would have thought that a three-piece could produce so much and so different in the way of sound? “Beth” is almost-Rush like in its general sound – pulling at the listener in two very different yet parallel ways, the tracks brooding bass and vocals are more “Subdivisions” than “Iris”, its aural analogue. Moving into a hopeful track in “Fucked Up Job”, The 101 continue creating their own style of music, of which a more than passing glance was made to Jed-era Goo Goo Dolls.

Incorporating some electronics (synthesizer) to “Wife” that parallel the bass on the track hnice, The 101 are like the characters from Katamari Damarcy, in that anything that looks interesting at the least is subsumed by the mass and used successfully forevermore. While the mastering of “Green Street” confines the wildly-oscillating distortion at moments on the disc, the mastering on the disc is perfect, giving the entire disc a “Tim”-like feel. The waves of distortion that flow over a track like “Verve” show that the instrumentation of the band is virtually endless; that is, The 101 both has the ability to rein in their chaotic lines and place it into the larger context of the disc.

“Bus Fare” is a return to the intensity that fuels the disc in its early stages, something that The 101 move away from slightly as the tracks “Generals” and “Left On” indicate. Straightforward attacks by the bass and vocals on the track, “Bus Fare” is a track that shows why bands like the aforementioned Replacements and Green Day have been able to enjoy tremendous success; by just assaulting the listeners ears straight-up and never once allowing those same listeners to breathe, The 101 ensures that the fanbase will be battereds and bloody but also clamoring for more.

Top Tracks: Bus Fare, Beth

Rating: 6.7/10

The 101 – Green Street / 2005 Limekiln Records / 10 Tracks / http://www.the101.net / [email protected] / Reviewed 19 February 2005

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