Posted on: February 8, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Three guesses about what The Randies sound like. I’m guessing either pop punk in The Donnas way, indie rock in the post-Garbage way, or (just possibly, and I sure hope that they sound) like The Sounds. Of course, this is just looking at the CD itself; “Freezerburn” is the first track on the disc, and the band has a rock sound to them. There is not any definite link to other band, but the band plays in a hard-edged rock style with more than a passing glance to the punk style. The production style is solid, but it seems to allow a little distortion to occur at the higher register of the tracks.

This is by no means a major problem, and should not stop anyone from enjoying what The Randies are releasing on this album. “Through I Could Change” brings the band much more into a punk style, with the pick-up drumming and shrill guitars reminding individuals of the work done by the Dead Kennedys or Bad Religion. The vocals don’t link themselves as easily to a specific band, which bodes well for The Randies. This is because they can appreciably adapt musical styles to their own style without losing their identity. What results during “Thought I Could Survive” is a hard hitting tack that still has enough catchy material present that individuals will have no recourse but to focus in.

The bass line that starts “Born Again”, coupled with the aforementioned tininess of the composition, really makes it sound as if what The Randies are doing is playing in an eighties style. There are also hints of both Hole and The Breeders present in this song; while the band adopts these styles, it seems to only be a passing fascination, allowing the band to go to different realms by the time that “Up In Lights” starts. The Randies are one of the best acts that no one has ever heard of. They are able to craft a hard rock style while still having more than their fair share of pop influence present, and they are able to shift to different styles with either losing theirselves in the other styles or losing cohesion in the compositions. Give the disc a spin if you like punk, alternative rock, or even pop music that has an edge to it; “Saw The Light” should be an album that is well worth whatever price one pays for it.

Top Tracks: Saw The Light, Move On

Rating: 7.0/10

The Randies – Saw The Light / 2006 The Randies / 11 Tracks / http://www.therandies.com / Reviewed 07 May 2007

[JMcQ]

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