Got No Shame
Hometown Underground (2009)
Brian Shultz
Got No Shame is the second Israeli punk band to receive a review here in a few weeks, but unlike the previous, they've some songwriting issues that prevent Hometown Underground from being a real winner.
Opener "City Lights" begins with a throaty, dissonant "whoa" before kicking into what seems like a riffy Hot Water Music song circa A Flight and a Crash or Caution. But then the guitars drop out and snotty pop-punk vocals come in, throwing the whole thing off; the chorus is a little fuller and there's a hint of emotional resonance that makes it one of the album's better songs, but this schizophrenic style meshing just doesn't really work cohesively.
By the power-pop-infused "Lucille," one begins to realize just how much frontman Alon Kimel resembles Less Than Jake's Chris Demakes. Like, quite a bit, and especially during this song's chorus. The next few tracks kick up the energy level in a way that lets the comparison soften a little, but despite that and little creative flourishes within each, the songs don't feel impactful enough--and that's regardless of who or what they sound like. "Wings of the Devil" even sounds like the band's attempt at some pop-punk-cum-Motörhead type thing, but the results are mixed.
The rest of Hometown Underground stays the course of steady, rock-influenced punk (or maybe vice versa), but without any real discernable hooks or dynamic moments. It makes it an unfortunate middle-of-the-road release, but certainly far from a horrible one, at least.