Reviews

Young Heart Attack

Mouthful Of Love

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Review Date: 2005-01-28

What is the recipe for rock’n’roll legendary? What makes an impact statement when it comes to musical history? Two more difficult questions may have never been asked. When it comes to music though it really boils down to the life essence that you feel through each guitar stroke, each vocal cord and any drum solo that you cross in the path of your rock’n’roll journey. To hear Young Heart Attack is to experience part of the saga that is rock’n’roll, you will start this trip with “Mouth of Love”, their new CD. There is a really tacky red car on the CD cover, so thank god that I never saw that prior to hearing the CD a few times. I mean its one thing to produce music but don’t embarrass yourself with some second rate liner notes. With that being said, first impressions are everything, so begins the story of Young Heart Attack.

A band with two singers, seems like one male lead and one female vocal lead. They also have a kick ass guitar player, I would characterize him as in the same vein of AC/DC as far as guitar sound goes, talent would maybe credit them too much you know? If you have ever heard of Burning Brides you may also enjoy this album, I currently am listening to both and they really have some similarities that you can draw between the styles, vocally and musically. Anyways they rock a little to say the least, and the added sound from a female vocal is a new touch that I haven’t seen. Track one is a good lead into the CD its called “Mouthful of Love”, which is something I frown on, but don’t get me started about naming a song on the CD the same as the album name. But the song itself is quite nice, what I do notice about it is it’s a little more unique than the rest of the album. I would best compare it to the Foo Fighters, but more for the musical style that it carries. The drums and guitar all remind me of some of the stuff they did on the Learn to Fly album, a little softer but still catchy and not too sell out. But as I’ve mentioned this song really is unlike most of the other songs on the album, as it really doesn’t use that guitarist skill to his utmost.

Track two they decide that its time to wake everyone up. It’s called “Starlite” and seriously it leads in like with some epic background guitar that just gets you ready to rev your rock engine. Then you start hearing the male lead screaming out and it begins. Seriously one of the better songs on the CD, I love the chorus where the female vocals come in handy as background for it, really makes the whole thing a lot more catchy in the end and it’s a neat little rock song. Basically this song just puts you in a really good mood, like the same sorta mood you’d be in if you thought you could conquer the world with a song that motivated you. This song would be your personal cheerleader and you would kick that nasty ass habit.

I am serious when I say this but track three, “Camino”, and I have to give it a big ups, only because at this point in the game folks I realized that I really like this album a lot. It’s got all the staples of a sweet rocking band that would give you that same energy every live performance. You can feel it through way this band presents itself, each chord and lyric, they just belt it out. They have a nice style, no holds bard kinda thing going on which is unique by today’s standards when its much easier just to fall into one category that’s popular. This track is the one I would compare the most to The Datsuns if not purely for the utilizing of the left and right channels in the song. Flipping the guitar back and forth is produced really well, and has a nice effect on you if you’re a fairly toasted individual…which I am.

Nice little track is number six, “To the Teeth”. The chorus has a heavy focus on the lead female vocals again which is sweet because they seem to get it right every time. Sometimes female singers have either a tendency to suck, or they have a tendency to just sound horrible with the music that they are involved with, this is not the case in this situation. She really carries the song, they sing about they have nothing to lose and I suppose that attributes to there hardcoreness. It seems to be a long list of things that the male lead singer would do in order to be next to this metaphorical girl. Which works for me I suppose, he has a scratchy yelling voice, I couldn’t tell you who to compare it to, its not like this in every song, but often it is in this form. Its something you like or you don’t, so that being said listeners beware because the vocals could be very acquired as far as taste goes.

I’d have to say that maybe I’m just a sucker for Oooo’s Oooo’s in a chorus, but some might also say I’m a sucker for a sweet ripping guitar line too. If you said either of these then you would be very correct. Track eight is “Over and Over” and it is bitchin’. Easily my favourite rock track I’ve heard this month, its truly rough and carries all the best elements of this band. The guitar is in the forefront carrying the song through, the male vocals are kept a little less in the spotlight by a solo or two and the fact that the female lead does a bit more singing on this track than she does on some of the others. The drummer does a great job here with transition between everything because there is several starts and stops and that man can just carry that beat and drop it. Seriously, it’s by far the track I like the best.

Tracks to steal: “Over and Over”, “To the Teeth”, “Starlite”, “Camino”

Are Young Heart Attack on their way to the rock’n’roll highlands?

Did they salute to the gods of rock in the process?

Judgement Passed: