Casey Jones
The Few, The Proud, The Crucial (2004)
Jim
I know I'm not the only one who looked at the cover of this album and said "what the fuck is going on here?" A bunch of straight edge, Confederate soldiers rising from the dead to do battle, what's up with that? Well, upon reading the press release I realized that the cover wasn't meant to be completely serious, which is a good thing, considering taking it seriously would've required quite an effort on my part.
Featuring members of Evergreen Terrace, Casey Jones plays a mix of metalcore and straight up hardcore. There are plenty of breakdowns and shout along choruses. Oh, and there are also enough straight edge references to turn listening to this album into a drinking game. Isn't it ironic, don't ya think? This is an enjoyable album to listen to, but it certainly won't make you think. This band almost reminds me of Welcome To Your Life, mixed with their previous incarnation, Show Of Hands. There's a pretty good balance here of metal and hardcore, and the vocals thankfully stick to pure screaming instead of growling. The songs are relatively short and fast, and usually centered on the breakdowns. I'm sure this will cause a few of you to roll your eyes, but in this case, it's ok because this band isn't trying to be tough or be the heaviest thing out there, they're just writing good, fun songs. These guys don't take themselves too seriously, with song titles like "If You're Smoking In Here, You'd Better Be On Fire" and "You Were Never A Fan of The Dry Hump." I'm glad to see someone injecting a bit of humor into straight edge hardcore, as it has been lacking in this area for while.
If you dig bands like Show Of Hands and Stretch Armstrong, you'll most likely enjoy Casey Jones. If you come into this expecting to be whisked away to world of experimental music and quasi-intellectual lyrics, you're going to be disappointed. But if you're looking for music that's fast, energetic, and fun, you won't be let down.