| It always seems to be fun to review bands from Canada. I don't know what it is, maybe there's
something in the water that makes them a little nutty. Either way, this time around I get to
experience the new self-titled effort from Handheld. This well traveled punk band has put out2 EPs
and 2 previous full-lengths and with influences that span bands such as Bad Religion, Bodyjar, and
Lagwagon there was no way I could resist reminiscing all those years ago when punk ruled my stereo.
Let's see if Handheld can bring back the flare I once had.
True from my assumptions of their influences, they are an energized old school sounding punk band
that take no breaks and speed through with swift guitars and carefully calibrated drum ensembles.
Honestly as the tracks rolled on I began to recognize an old friend as if I just spotted them 30
years later calling a taxi somewhere. Punk. It mends youthful aggression and goofs off with you when
you needed a pick me up. Picture a quicker young Blink-182 or Lagwagon and you have a general idea
of how great this is.
The guitars, no matter how many power chords are played, just bring you more excitement that even
some complicated works cannot. The beauty is in the simplicity (even though the bass lines and drums
are so impressively intricate.) Not to mention the vocals are the classic spoken anthem melody that
many bands have done well with, which places this effort even higher on my listening priorities
because of how familiar and comfortable it all is. You may tell me, "Well it's punk, so I'm sure it
has 2 minute tracks that don't last long." And even though it has several short songs, It has a
massive 16 tracks for your ears to dine upon, which is rare in a sea of pint-size records.
So if you are aching for a return to the old punk roots and you don't want to listen to the
evolutions that modern punk has gone through, feel good that Handheld has delivered a blast from the
90's sound that makes me remember all the good times of old. Not only that but this album is a
pretty stellar punk record all by itself. So what are you waiting for, go out and spent your money
on this, I'm not going to hold your hand while you do it, so do it!
~ Pernell
February 26 2008 |
