Reviews
Latterman
... We Are Still Alive
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Latterman excites me. Not like one hundred percent boner, but at least half the stalk. I really think Latterman is one of the punk bands that are on the fringe of becoming big. They have a lot of push behind them from their record label, Deep Elm Records. I like most of the stuff that I have heard from this label, so I highly recommend poking around their website if you want to find some up-and-coming punk artists.
Latterman was a surprise that Dan sent me, but that is still pretty wicked because albums I don't expect to get are always top notch. Since sending this Dan has sent me almost every subsequent release from Deep Elm, and I think I might have only been disappointed once. Latterman is the cream of the crop on that label; they are in a league of their own.
The albums starts with "Water Mains At The Block's End." I definitely like it, and I think it’s because the vocals are my kind of punk, with a sweet sound. The energy that these guys have is also pretty astounding, because they rarely slow down. It’s a big difference from some of the punk that I have been listening to lately. It has a nice, rough Rancid feel to it.
The second track, "Mumbled Words and Ridiculous Faces," is pretty bitchin'. This track is one that reminds me a bit of The Dropkick Murphys’ energy; it isn't influenced by bagpipes or east coast stuff though, so it’s really more the pacing that makes me feel the comparison. The intenseness of this track is awesome; I really want to see Latterman in concert. One thing I’ve noticed about these guys is how consistent the vocals are. It’s remarkable that from track to track these guys can just wail like their vocal chords are being removed with a fork.
"If Batman Was Real He Would Have Beaten The Crap Out Of My Friends" is a hilarious song title. This is a feel-good track -- it just pumps me up even more, and I have to go to bed soon so I shouldn't probably be listening to this. Oh well, it’s just too wicked to shut off. This track has a funny name because that means the dudes in Latterman probably have a lot of friends associated with criminal activity, since Batman is a crime fighter. Batman is a loser though, so your friends are being caught by a loser. Anyway, the point is that this song is pretty badass. It goes a lot of different places over the course of its two minutes and forty seconds so it keeps me interested, and that is hard to do. It’s not the track that I would recommend to everyone, but a true Latterman junkie will love it as much as I do.
The fifth song is weird; it’s not one of my favourites but "Dr. Sudholt And His Double Glasses" is unique to the disc. It’s just over a minute and a half long, but it’s got a weird sound to it. This is a darker track that just showcases the band’s music -- nothing too intense though. In fact, it’s pretty slow and standard, if you ask me.
The seventh track is called "We Work the Night Shift," and I think that the night shift is terrible. This is a song that is dedicated to all those people that have to work that bloody terrible shift. I could never imagine working that shift because you would live a life much different then everyone you know except your co-workers. Inevitably, they would have to be your friends; otherwise, you would be a loner. I suppose I'm over analysing here but to be honest, this song is pretty cool. There’s a section in the chorus where they have background vocals that are sicke.
Next up is "Dozer Rage" -- I immediately knew I was going to like this song, and I was very right -- I definitely like this song. The song starts with a bitchin' amount of guitar and I rock the fuck out to that shit in my computer chair (which basically means I fall off the bitch because it’s such a shitty chair). The pace isn't the same throughout the song -- after the vocals kick in, the song changes -- but it’s still pretty good because the energy levels remains high. I think that’s the best thing about Latterman, that they just fucking giv'r the entire way through the album.
When I listen to this album I want to listen to the other one by them I have; it’s in my roommates room though, so it’s trapped until the morning. Oh well -- I will steal it tomorrow and rock out with my cock out, if only for the reason that Latterman is fucking killer. The album ends with "Will This Be The Test?" I know that not everyone could take the amount of concentration that it would take to create this type of six-minute punk song. I really like this track and the funny thing is that I don't usually think that the longer punk songs are good. For the most part, Latterman keeps its songs to reasonable lengths so that’s probably why I don't mind the one longer track that stands out on the album. I think that lots of people will like this track; the last two minutes of the song are my favourite, but the beginning of the song is mostly the build-up portion of the album. It’s pretty easy to tell I liked this song, and not to mention the album was a saga as well.
Tracks to Steal: "Water Mains At The Block's End," "Mumbled Words And Ridiculous Faces," "I Decided Not To Do Them," "If Batman Was Real He Would Have Beaten The Crap Out Of My Friends," "'Dozer Rage," "We Work The Night Shift"
Did Latterman suffer the sophmore slump? Do I need to see Latterman in concert?
Score: 9.3
This is my favourite punk album of the year, and there’s still time for it to grow on me even more than I already like it. That’s scary because I gave it a pretty high score already; how could it get higher?
- Brandon