Fierce Brosnan

Item: Good Luck Exploding
Rating: 6
Author: Rich Cocksedge

Good Luck Exploding (2012)

Rich Cocksedge

Fierce Brosnan (great name, incidentally) play melodic punk rock with gruffish vocals, much in the same vein as Timeshares. Now for me to mention the former in the same sentence as the latter is a huge positive given the high regard in which I hold Timeshares. It would be wrong of me to say that Fierce Brosnan manage to reach the same heights as Timeshares, but they certainly give it a good go in trying to follow up the musical ladder.

In terms of the band itself, Fierce Brosnan containsmembers of Static Radio NJ and Let Me Run, and although the band are not technically active these days, it's not yet drawn a final line underneath itself, being open to offers of performing live. On the evidence provided in this digital release (a cassette version has been previously released via Jeremy Records) it would be a shame if the band doesn't at least get to record some more material in the not too distant future.

This is music that has an element of grandeur to it without seeming pompous. By that, I mean it's a full and expansive sound, yet not one that is overly grandiose and as such coming across as trying too hard. The opening track "All We Have" is a good example of this and I'd actually recommend that to get the best listening experience. The other tracks would be best heard through headphones as it brings all elements more clearly to the forefront. It definitely helps the guitar tracks stand out better.

In addition to the opening track, the ones which really give me a thrill are "Joneric" and "Tired," the latter having a bit of a Dag Nasty-like intro and an echoic sound throughout, making it slightly more distinctive than most of the other songs. The other treat is the penultimate track "Country Livin'" which is a basic acoustic riff with some male and female âoohs' throughout â very relaxing.

These guys really do remind me of Timeshares, both in terms of the overall sound and by the way they try to add in elements to the music that set little markers that I look forward to.