The Real Danger

The Real Danger (2007)

Hein Terweduwe

Have you ever been wondering, like I have been, why there's not a lot of bands these days that produce music like the good old Descendents or ALL did? OK, there's been quite a number of bands that are referring to those bands as their inspiration and such, but I never came across too many bands that really bring you that typical fun combined with drive and melodies and a touch of pop. Not just tough or emotional music, but extremely good songwriting with a lot of punch and a voice that still sings a good chorus that you can sing along to.

So here's that band that does all that and that does it very well. The Real Danger from Rotterdam, Holland, played their first show only a year before the release of this self-titled album and managed to make me listen to their entire album a couple times in a row, with increasing interest. Maybe the voice of this guy is still an item that could be worked on as he sometimes sounds a bit untidy compared to Chad Price or Milo Aukerman, but considering these two are some of my favorite singers of all time I can't be too harsh about that, especially since the melodicy and "heart" in the singing lines are there undeniably.

Then there's another little aspect in their music that stood out in songs like "Remnants" and "Waiting," where the guitars reminded me a lot of that other great old band, Face to Face. Another nice thing is that they also throw in a bit of straight ahead pop-punk songs á la Teenage Bottlerocket, Queers, or maybe even pop-punk bands like Nicotine from the late `90s, f.e. "O.K. Now" or "Dead End."

I swear I thought about those bands before reading their biography, where they also mention most of these bands. They really managed to produce a smashing album for someone like me. I just hope there's room in a youngster's discography for this kind of music, which might be considered out-of-time. For me this music can come to me anytime and will be time-less. Well done, and thanks for this jewel between so much rubbish I have to listen to these days. Where the fuck do I find people these days that still think this music is just fantastic? It seems as if we're becoming a small group of people.