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Tanked, The - Drink Up
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Tanked, The - Drink Up
Tanked, The - Drink Up
Released by: The Tanked
Released on: September 22nd, 2013.
Purchase From Band Camp
In the interests of providing a completely honest review and not writing a shitty promotional essay or advertorial, let the truth be known - I was in this band for a brief period of time. I attended the first few practices and did my best to play bass (during one these practices my amp broke and more or less rendered me useless). I also came up with the name, so maybe I can't be completely impartial but I know what I like and I like this record.
In all fairness, that was all back in 2007 and at the time of this writing, it's 2013. The Tanked are currently made up of a guy I don't know named Jeep on lead guitar, another guy I don't know named Chris B. on bass man, a third guy I don't know named Brenden on drums and two guys I do know - Noland Bell on vocals and Chris Hill on second guitar. In fact, Noland officiated at my wedding and he posts on the forum of this very website, occasionally contributing reviews too. But with that said, I really have no affiliation with sixty percent of the band, who have just recently released their first full length recording, the funds for which were successfully crowd sourced through an Indie-Go-Go campaign that I meant to contribute to and then forget about. Thankfully enough people have better memories than I and made it happen.
So what's this all about? It's pretty traditional street punk, the kind played fast and loud, with an emphasis on booze and booze related shenanigans. The album kicks off with a proclamation of sorts as Get The Tanked sets the stage for what's to come. The second track, (I've Been) Drinking Again, is one of the best on the album. It's got a catchy chorus and some great hooks and the lyrics are fun, if even a little bit somber? Maybe just a little bit. The rest of the album follows suit, it's fast and catchy. Bottle Fight is also a highlight; it's quick and catchy and just snotty and obnoxious enough to catch your attention. Drinking Like Lords didn't hook me in the way the other tracks did, but it's far from bad, just not my personal favorite. Fuck The OLCC sees the band get sort of political. For those who haven't ever lived in the great state of Oregon, the OLCC is the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, and they're the guys who say when and where you can consume your favorite adult beverages. Given this bands obvious love of the sauce, it stands to reason they might want to raise a middle finger to 'the man' and if they choose to do it in song as they do here, so much the better. Particularly when it's as anthemic as it is on this recording. It's a forty-five second long blast of 'fuck you' that makes no qualms whatsoever about the band's stance on the commission and the way that it does business.
The band even manages to work in a cover by The Pogues that doesn't suck, which is no easy feat. Covering a band as iconic as that always runs the risk of becoming a major mistake but this cover is faithful enough to the original to work while still letting the five piece put their own stamp on the track. They close things out with two more rousing, fast, loud tracks with Let's Drink, a call to arms of sorts, and Ethanol Calling. Roughly half an hour later, we're done. Short, but not too short, sweet, but not sweet at all really, and to the point. Very much to the point.
Guitars are upfront where they belong while the drum and bass of the rhythm section keeps time and adds a nice low end to the mix. The playing is solid, it sounds accomplished but not ever remotely close to pretentious. There's no noodling here, no drawn out solos but instead catchy hooks and riffs played fast and without much restraint. Abrasive in a good way. Vocals? Yep, this album has some of those too. Noland used to be the lead vocalist in the gone but not forgotten Misfits tribute band, The Misfats, so he knows how to use a microphone. He's not trying to sound like fat Danzig this time around and shows pretty decent range, sometimes with some catch gang vocals not so much harmonizing but complimenting the leads as required.
The complete track listing for Drink Up is:
Get The Tanked / (I've Been) Drinking Again / Half Rack Destroyers / Beer Gogglin' / Best Medicine / Thirsty World / Bottle Fight / Drinking Like Lords / Fuck The OLCC / If I Should Fall from Grace with God / Let's Drink /Ethanol Calling
The production is good without ever losing any authenticity. The mix is polished enough that you'll actually want to listen to this at a good volume but not so slick sounding that the music loses its rawer qualities. In short, it works. It suits the music and the attitude that the music puts across. At the time of this writing there are two ways to get the album - via digital download from Bandcamp or with those MP3s on a flash drive branded with the band's logo that also doubles as a bottle opener. You've got to appreciate that sense of dedication. Throw back a few beers and give this a shot. These guys may not be reinventing the wheel or delivering that hot new musical sound, but they are playing straight up, no-nonsense punk rock and playing it very well at that.
Check out the video for Bottle Fight right now!
Tags: portland, album review, punk rock, cd review, oregon, the tanked, drink up, street punk, drunk rock, olcc, album reviews
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