MusicJournoSteppin Razor
October 2nd 2006 10:24
Self-titled
I don’t know if you’d call this a demo because it sounds pretty spotless and looks like a regular CD, so I’ll just assume this is an (ahem) “debut EP”. Steppin’ Razor are a Sydney-based ska-punk band… Think Rancid, Last Hemeroids, Operation Ivy, all that sort of thing, complete with a sax player. The EP kicks off with an instrumental but I don’t really dig instrumentals so I won’t comment… the rest of the CD is good though. ‘Criminal’, ‘All About Control’ and ‘Tell Us What You’re Gonna Do” are all great catchy tracks with great gang-choruses, and “Politics” just sits really well with me, not because of it’s lyrics or anything, I just like the shape of the song I guess. Anyway, if you like ska-punk even a little bit then you should get yourself a copy of this EP because it’s rad.
These Pictures
This 6 track EP is hot on the heels of their self-titled debut – which was released only 8 months beforehand or something like that I think. It punches straight in with “Desperation” and goes from there into the title track, a slower ska number, which pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the EP. I gotta say, this EP isn’t a patch on the first one… I enjoyed the horns and the keyboards and the use of a melodica and all that kinda stuff, but it just didn’t seem anywhere near as infectious and straight-up as the first one. I think I can pinpoint the reason why too… the backup vocals don’t seem to be as loud on this one and I think that could be it completely, it’s just down to mixing I guess. The song “Kingston and Liberty” is great and would’ve been awesome with bigger backups. Anyways, it’s a small criticism and other than that the EP is pretty damn good. Favourite tracks would probably have to be “Desperation” and “Back Dock”.
Steppin Razor
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