Posted on: October 7, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The Sainte Catherines are an interesting band to say the least. While most of the punk bands currently out can easily be given a tag, the style of songs like “If There’s Black Smoke Over A Bridge, It’s Over” is hard to pin down as being a specific blend of styles. At some point, individuals just have to admit that The Sainte Catherines are a great band, regardless of what bands they can be linked to. Strong punk guitars mix with a style of vocals that are not quite unlike a blend of Davey Havok and Tim from Rise Against; the presence of bass and drums during songs like “The International Badminton Championship: La P’Tite Grise VS Jef” bring the band to different straits than anything else found previously on “Dancing For Decadence”.

“Track & Field Style” has The Sainte Catherines mix together a pit-worthy, hardcore sound with a slightly more “emo” type of vocals (scratchy but insistent) to make a piecemeal sound that nonetheless will blow listeners away. The ability of Fat Wreck to sign this chameleon band shows a maturity on both parties’ parts; Fat Wreck for taking such a gamble and The Sainte Catherines for wishing that their music could hit the largest mix of individuals.

Each of the songs on “Dancing For Decadence” passes by listeners quickly, so quickly in fact that the disc has already spun through half of its songs by the time that individuals have a chance to check the display on their player. “Get Your Politics Out of My Hair” takes a number of cues from hardcore music, especially in the angular guitar work that is such a hallmark of the track. However, this is not a hardcore track, but rather a Sainte Catherines song. The style is punk-influenced but with that hardcore twinge; the vocals are the primary purveyors of emotions here. The inspired sound of The Sainte Catherines should be enough to usher in a completely new style for the next few years. The Sainte Catherines walk to the beat of their own drummer, and the freshness ushered in by the band is enough to refresh even the most jaded fan of punk rock. With every other punk band taken as an influence during “Dancing For Decadence”, The Sainte Catherines create something new out of everything that is old; each track on this disc is full of emotion and struggles against its progenitors in bold new ways.

Top Tracks: Ring of Fire = 4 Points, Us Against The Music

Rating: 6.6/10

The Sainte Catherines – Dancing For Decadence / 2006 Fat Wreck / 12 Tracks / http://www.thesaintecatherines.org / http://www.fatwreck.com / Reviewed 30 March 2006

[JMcQ]

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