The Miniatures, coma kid (Maple Recordings, 2004)
Finally, they've let me review some music all by meself! This little red package wif six scruffy lookin' rock 'n' roll types standin' around lookin' suspicious reminds me of the good ol' days when I usedta stand around lookin' suspicious. Now I just lie around lookin' scruffy. . . it's nearly the same thing!
The Miniatures come on all gangbusters, like they're punkers or somethin', but after the first squall of power guitars you start to think of the poseurs who came after the punks. What'd they call 'em? New Wave! Yeah, that's it. New #$%^in' Wave! You know, loud guitars, but carefully processed. Vocals wrung through an effects box so it sounds like they're singin' in a box. And lyrics that. . . well. . . lyrics that. . . well. . . I don't #$%^in' know. See f'y'self!
"Space and time you, never could believe, carve your stones, right into me." "I guess this is how we lie, when we're lying side by side, I guess this is how we dance, when we can't count up to ten." I guess. That's the first lines from the first two songs, "Space and Time" and "Dragonfly." The title song comes third. Not quite the Kinks, not quite the Clash, nowhere near the Jap Zeros, but a bit reminiscent of an under-recorded the Babys. Not, I guess, that there's anything wrong with that. . . but don't pretend you're on the edge, that's all.
"Scenery Art" is a ballad, but not really. A power ballad. Not really. A tad anthemic. "You want it right I do it wrong, I turn it up you turn it down, this cycle's a mess, my head is a maze, do what you do best." Yeah, I think when I wuz twenty years old I might've known wot the #$%^ they're singing about. But not anymore. I'm confused, and it's not just the head injury from my van accident. "Seeds" is a catchy tune, though, led by a nice drum beat from Nick Skalkos. The rest of the band is Ian Smith (vocals an' guitar), Ryan Allen (bass), Christopher Finn (guitar, vocals), Kevin Hundt (keys) an' Shawn Feeney on percussion. All qualified musos.
It was all recorded in Hamilton, Ontario. . . Dave's home town! An' some of it is quite listenable, some of it does get a bit edgy. But for the most part it seems too #$%^in predictable. Maybe live they'd great. . . but too much of this will put this old kid into a coma!
