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Review: |
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A few years back, I interviewed for a job in Knoxville, TN and
was struck by how much the city reminded me of industrial towns in
the Northeast. Although it is a college town, Knoxville also has
several factories nestled within the hills of the Great Smoky
Mountains, as well as a large percentage of working class. If New
Jersey were in the Confederacy, Knoxville would be its capital. No
wonder, then, that The High Score, a new band from Knoxville,
reminds me of a cross between Southern emo pop, Bon Jovi, and Cheap
Trick.
Don’t get me wrong -- I’m not dissing the band at all. Sexy
Losers, their first release, is a fun rock album with catchy
tunes and clever lyrics about life in urban East Tennessee, from
childhood days listening to Motley Crew to late nights of drinking
and hanging out at The Pilot Light. The songs are unpretentious and
raucous, heavy on guitar but still boppy. Highlights include
Motley Who, the aforementioned song of childhood, and
Songs to Break Up To 95, a bangly and cute love song with a
funny lyrical twist. Like the culture of most industrial towns, The
High Score’s music is gritty, loud, and full of good times.
Sexy Losers is a fine first release but does suffer
a bit from melodic repetitiveness; I sometimes get the choruses of
various songs confused. Of course, this problem is a frequent
condition of first albums by any band, and The High Score have the
songwriting ability and raw talent to continue expanding and
evolving. I look forward to their next musical narrative about
Knoxville. |
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