The Foamers' self-titled, second effort is raw, unbridled British punk rock with a hint of hardcore punk and a slight smattering of ska upstrokes. Think early (and I mean EARLY) AFI with an accent, and, well, if AFI decided they needed ska upstrokes in their sound. I've seen comparisons to big influences like Choking Victim/Leftover Crack and Capdown, but it really doesn't hold true in any fashion. This more or less sounds like something A-F Records would jump on like Michael Jackson at a Chuck E. Cheese's. There's something about the production that really bothers me and thus kills the entire record. Maybe it's the hardly-audible bass (the kick drum itself beats it out in places) or the overall hollow feel of the mix, but there just isn't a sound of depth. The vocals get barked over thin little chord progressions and don't leave much to be desired as a result. The melodic, driving riffs add nice touches, and the roots-reaching reggae (like the "Pub No. 1" interlude) shows a great attempt at sound expansion, but there's a simplicity that the music fails to fall back on and a complexity it doesn't reach within inches of. It's like non-alcoholic beer - pointless. I guarantee this band could wow the States with their still-growing sound by making a devastating full-length of ferocious, genre-bending punk rock tunes, but this ain't it. MP3
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