This album starts off with “Meet Me In The Street”, and instantly you have to take note of that production. From where these guys were a few years ago, this is a HUGE leap as far as production goes. Now, if the early EP’s of Sheer Mag didn’t have you tapping your toes int he past, it sure as hell will now. This one is just a no rules, outlaw tinged rocker. But as wild as this comes off, it still comes off fairly pristine and under wraps. Also, the sort of punk edge that Sheer Mag has always dealt with is here full blast as well. So overall, this is a pretty great intro to the music of Sheer Mag. To be honest, though, I really don’t remember a time where vocalist Tina Halladay sounded so FIERCE. Hell, she herself sounds like an outlaw. Honestly, though, it’s great, and it gives Sheer Mag a serious wild edge. Not to mention, “Meet Me In The Street” shows just how much Sheer Mag have come as far as song structure goes. Everything from the very solid verses to the later jammy moments come off seriously well. It’s a damn fine intro. Up next is the title track, “Need To Feel Your Love”, which is the complete polar opposite but in the best way. There’s actually a really solid groove here, which is something I really didn’t expect. Now, if the early Sheer Mag EP’s have been compared to the work of Thin Lizzy and AC/DC, this track certainly has much more of a Fleetwood Mac vibe. To be honest, it’s classy though, and most importantly it shows Sheer Mag working with catchier material and absolutely SLAYING it. It still does have this weird sort of unhinged southern flare, however, which is even weirder when you take into consideration that they're all from Philadelphia. But it all works out great. As a single, and a song to be completely identified by, this track just makes me so damn happy for Sheer Mag. We don't have a lot of straight up Rock N Roll like this in the world, and we really have to treasure it. The more poppy sound, however, doesn’t last, as “Just Can’t Get Enough” brings back in the very raucous sound that the intro of this album laid the groundwork for. I have to give Sheer Mag credit, going through all of these tracks we’re seeing so many qualities that we just don’t see anymore in Rock music. The riffs on this one are just so simple, yet so memorable and catchy. Also, the songwriting has just the right amount of pop appeal for tracks like “Just Can’t Get Enough” to get in your mind and stay there. There’s also a lot of seriously sweet moments here as well. As far as the material of Sheer Mag’s early EP’s go, this is probably the closest thing you’re going to hear to that. But man, does it ever work out nicely. Then we have the more smooth and seemingly under control sounding “Expect The Bayonet”. This track while it’s a little more on the rails, remains just as catchy with just the right amount of rock and roll soul. Tina’s vocals continue to be just so huge and commanding here, and are obviously the star of the show. But Tina handles herself well and ends up being just as harsh and raucous sound as the music around her. But all of that being said, I’m not really a big fan of “Expect The Bayonet”. For me, this is a little too on the rails sounding for me, it doesn't come off nearly as chaotic meaning. Plus, it’s not nearly as catchy. While the Sheer Mag formula is simple, tracks like “Expect The Bayonet” show that it’s not perfect just yet.
Thankfully Sheer Mag bounce back with “Rank And File”. This track is so much more of the confident, sort of sleazy rock track that I love to hear from these guys. The classic rock vibe continues to shine magnificently. Hell, in a way, Sheer Mag come off as an overwhelmingly good Bar band. It’s a sound that’s always worked for them, however, because tracks like “Rank And File” certainly have me up and moving. Not to mention, Tina, in general, is just a fantastic Front-Woman. It’s upbeat, it’s groovy, it’s tough and seriously addictive. But then Sheer Mag break out their more upbeat and harsher tunes like “Turn It Up” and they end up sounding like a completely different band. In a good way, however, in a way that shows just how much depth Sheer Mag have. A lot of the same Classic Rock influences show up on “Turn It Up”. But this one is just so much grimier and dirtier and rougher. It almost reminds me of Punk Bands like The Damned or The New York Dolls in some weird way. I love the aggression here, and the attitude that comes in from Tina’s performance and the backing vocals. But I think the most wowing factor here, I just how simple and obvious this sound remains. Where has this sound even been in Rock music lately? Then we have tracks that are a little too much of a stretch, like “Suffer Me”. Right from this intro, A) This is the most Southern sounding track we’ve heard so far, and B) this is the most complicated instrumental we’ve gotten too. Neither one of those things are good, and this one doesn’t really end up hitting me at all. I feel like the instrumentals have one too many twists that come off more annoying than anything. Then, we have Tina’s vocals which may be my least favorite of hers here. Overall, “Suffer Me” just comes off a little goofy, and Sheer Mag doesn't sound nearly as raw or energized. Overall, I feel like this track sounds like Sheer Mag is covering a sound, not even a song, but a sound. I do like a few elements here and there, like the chorus. But outside of that, this one isn’t for me. Then we have “Pure Desire” which has a seriously strong groove and funk to it. I feel like Sheer Mag on this one are just having so much fun. Not to mention I actually like Tina’s less aggressive and more soulful vocals on this one, which still ends up having a little bite to them. “Pure Desire” is just something really different for Sheer Mag, it’s a risk that could have turned out awful. But it’s moments like this that make me not worry about the future of Sheer Mag, cause they certainly have ideas. Also, I’m sure I’m not the only one to say this, but I still get a serious Alabama Shakes vibe from Sheer Mag to an extent. Like, obviously Alabama Shakes if they had a little bit of a bite to them, but still.
So far, this album has been pretty decent. But Sheer Mag still have a few more tricks up their sleeve, some of them good, and some of them not so much. Not for nothing, “Until You Find The One” sounds like a damn Smiths cover. It’s sweet and all, but it’s a little too sweet for my liking, to the point where that’s all this track really has to offer. “Until You Find The One” is just so bland, and being under two minutes it’s really hard to get into at all. And it’s a shame because I do like how melodic this track is. But overall this one comes off as incomplete for me. Plus, I don’t really think they pull off these very bare bones sound too well. But on the other hand, we get tracks like “Milk and Honey” which is exactly what I want to hear from Sheer Mag. It’s the sort of bluesy, hard rock that they just pull off so well. It’s not too much of a rip off of their influences either, it’s just fun as hell. Then we have Tina's vocals here, which are honestly some of her most confident and smoothest on the entire album. “Milk and Honey” overall is just another really solid tune from Sheer Mag, which once again sounds a whole lot like their early EP work cleaned up. Can we really ask for much more? Then we have “Can’t Play It Cool”, which is probably the most outlaw sounding track we’ve gotten in a while. Like, this one sounds right out of the playbook of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Tina’s vocals are at her harshest that they’ve been in a long time, and it’s great to hear. I feel like some of the lyrics on “Can’t Play It Cool” are a little cheesy, which gives me some reservations. But still, this is a seriously decent tune. But one thing about some of these later tracks does bother me. While there are a lot of solid tunes on this album, and the instrumentals do come off well, I wish Sheer Mag started taking more risks. Their sound is great, but a lot of these tunes do occasionally blend together. This album ends off with “(Say Goodbye To) Sophie Scholl”, and sadly it really falls flat for me instantly. There’s little to no grit on this one which is what I was hoping to hear, to be honest. And it’s a shame because I do really like the highly melodic vocals on this one that ends up sticking with you a LOT. But instrumentally, this just feels so lifeless. I seriously wish this ending had just a little more bite to it.
Rating: 7.8/10
Give A Listen To: "Need To Feel Your Love", "Just Can't Get Enough", "Turn It Up", "Pure Desire"
Overall Thoughts: More or less, this sounds like the album that we all figured Sheer Mag would come up with. The Classic Rock influence is there, the Punk Attitude, it's all on display. For the most part, this sounds like a lot of the music Sheer Mag put together on their early EP's, with a little cleaner production and a few more risks. For the most part, this album is a seriously fun, Rock N Roll album. But I just sort of wish they took maybe a few more risks, because for the most part the risks they do take pay off.
No comments:
Post a Comment