40 Years of Misery E.P,
4ft FingersThis new E.P contains 5 tracks; the title track, 2 live tracks and 2 remixes. So as a music fan coming across this band for the first time, it’s not a great start, as generally speaking, I don’t agree with re-mixes, and I’m not a big fan of live tracks either. However, I’ve always been told not to judge a book by its cover, and I guess that should also include, a CD by its track listing….
“40 Years of Misery,” isn’t too impressive, to be honest. It’s a cross breed of punk rock and ska with obligatory “attitude problem” lyrics. It has a moderately catchy chorus, but isn’t enough for me to get in to at all.. The live tracks on the CD don’t do anything to raise my opinion of the band either. The vocals are poor as “Oi, Oi” style of punk is one of my least favourite styles of music. In terms of positives, the mixing isn’t too bad and the crowd response in “Sense of Direction” make it a good song to have on the E.P. particularly if you were at that specific gig, or have been part of a crowd which have experienced that first hand. Track 4 is an alternative version of “40 Years of Misery” – I’m not quite sure what the idea behind its inclusion is, I’m sure all bands have different versions of tracks, but that’s no reason to go sticking them all on the same E.P.
I feel bad for scoring this CD so poorly, but I have always felt that a good record, no matter what the reviewer’s personal taste, can be appreciated if it’s done properly, and I just don’t appreciate this at all. I think it’s a poor excuse to release pointless material, and although I’m sure its perceived well by some fans, it’s not going to remain in my CD collection.
Pete
www.4ftfingers.com
