The Bronx

The Bronx (2003) (2003)

Adam White

On record, The Bronx succeed where other hyped bands fail because they completely
deliver on their promise. Unlike New York's garage revivalists there is
no sense of irony or trend baiting in this album. The Californian band's punk
rock is refreshingly raw and genuine: stripped of the pop-rock, emo and metal
influences that so many bands are awash in. It's funny that there's such a lack
of ostentation here, as this is one of the few albums of late that would warrant
it.
"Heart Attack American" is a perfect opening shot. I'm sure more
than a few people turned up the volume upon hearing the song's (purposely low)
intro only to be blasted by Matt Caughthran's initial scream. Joby Ford's dirty,
metallic surf-guitar licks drive the album, a style not unlike East Bay Ray's
playing with the Dead Kennedys. Equally compelling is the rhythm section James
Tweedy and Jorma Vik, providing the band with a strong, rhythmic core but never
falling behind the breakneck speeds of guitars and vocals. There's quite a few
great bass and drum fills peppered throughout the record as well. Things only
slow down (relatively) for the moody album closing "Strobe Life."Caughthran's vocals lie partway between Dennis Lyxzén and Eric Ozenne,
so fans of Refused or the Nerve Agents should definitely give this a spin. Hidden
beneath all the rage however is a keen sense of good pop melody. You can hear
this on the many of the tracks and it grounds the band surprisingly well. While
defiantly brutalizing his vocal chords, Caughthran thankfully keeps things far
away from both emo-shrieking and gruff metalcore-barking. Again, this makes
The Bronx sound more realistic and less genre-dependent. The band's flaws-intact
live-style recording of the songs does the same. There's nothing profound to explain about The Bronx, other then the fact that
they're making a familiar set of characteristics sound incredibly good. The
Bronx's debut is a scathing, pretence-free, well written and played and punk
rock record.