Grabass Charlestons
Sister Series [7 inch] (2009)
Brian Shultz
Razorcake has launched a neat little Sister Series 7" with complementary singles/EPs from the likes of the Arrivals and Grabass Charlestons. We'll review the latter, here.
While the material here sounds much more spirited than GC's past stuff, it does suffer from a problem that seems perpetual with their overall output -- it's kinda forgettable. The former of these qualities, thankfully, is especially prevalent in opener "Gone Fishin'." It's a surprisingly poetic narrative ("His lungs filled with water but his brain carried on. / He watched a crab take his finger and his finger was gone.") lifted along by a bustling moderate pace and upbeat chords. It's the kind of storytelling wistfulness I'd expect more from prarie-esque acts like Orphan Choir or such and less the whiskey-tinged No Idea clan, but it works all the same.
Next up is the more raspy Leatherface-ishness of "Jack Klompus" and "Un-American," simpler tracks that don't quite stack up to their introduction, but head-bobbing, slightly enjoyable songs all the same. Their cover of the Arrivals' "-1" is pretty eh, though, passing by without too much notice.
A mostly average release for Grabass but with a few glimpses of them really outdoing themselves.