One of the best parts about running Punktastic is the fact that we get a lot of demos by unsigned bands. It was this way I happened to come across My Awesome Compilation and was pointed in the direction of an MP3 by Jerry-Built. On the other hand, one of the worst aspects of the job is when you have to tell a band that their demo is a pile of horse wank. I always try and be subtle and give constructive criticism because that’s more worthwhile to any young band than a scathing attack. Unfortunately subtlety isn’t my strongest point and this EP from Me And Three Others is a very poor effort indeed.
Formed in September 2000, the ‘Shibby EP’ is their first effort and at eight songs is quite adventurous. The band don’t really follow any particular sound and it would be difficult to pinpoint any direct influences, but at the same time there’s nothing highly original about them. With terrible production it’s always going to be difficult to grab the attention of any reviewer in an age when shiny, polished stuff is the norm. That is of course unless your songs are so good they knock the listener out on first hearing. Except on this record there isn’t one song that does that.
Opening track (and I’m sorry but the font used on the cover art is appalling and I can’t actually read the title) ‘Can’t Get Enough Of That….’ highlights most things that are wrong with the band and hopefully this experience will help them. Everything is too low in the mix, except for the basslines which drive every song. The vocals aren’t sung at all, it’s more of a spoken word/whisper effect which is interesting but doesn’t work in the slightest. Track two, ‘Bliss’, starts off better but the drum pattern is almost identical (a familiar theme to every song) and there’s no pace at all, with the track merely plodding along. If the song was a person you’d give it a good kicking in an attempt to provoke some kind of reaction. The melodies are non-existent and the “wo-ahs” are far too loud, drowning out vocalist G. In short it’s total pap.
‘Nothing To Lose’ is driven the bass, but the guitars are far too low in the mix and the drums are awful. There’s absolutely no passion, commitment or anything that remotely gets you interested in the song and two-and-a-half minutes of watching paint dry would be time better spent. ‘Hardcore You Know The Score’ is better musically, coming across like a Phinius Gage b-side, but lyrically it’s absolutely abysmal. The vocals sound pushed to the limit and again even in the record’s most anarchic moment, it’s about as offensive as Westlife covering Orville and Cuddles The Monkey’s ‘I Wish I Could Fly (But I Can’t)’. ‘Voices’ is more of the same, while ‘Abusing Your Authority’ is better but again it’s hardly likely to incite a riot. At least ‘Beyond’ doesn’t lead in with the bass but it’s still slower than a one-legged mule running the 100 metres into a hurricane. Amazingly the saving grace from a no-star review is final track ‘Just Try’ which at least is fast enough to wake you up. I suppose the fact that the instruments seem out of time and the guitar riff is lifted from several NOFX songs is by the by…
Going back to the drawing board is neccessary if Me And Three Others hope to make any mark. The production and mixing here is fatally flawed and each guitar riff sounds the same. Being harsh this is absolutely awful, both musically and lyrically. Every song is led by the bass, the guitar riffs are too similar and there’s no variation in the drums. But at the same time this is their first release and with plans to go back in the studio in October, hopefully some musical maturity will prove me wrong.
www.meandthreeothers.co.uk
Paul