Sunday, September 14, 2008

The Mets and The Ergs

I am trying very hard not to get too invested in the Mets this September, as last year left me in a great deal of grief. Even so, today's loss stung. That being said, i still think they are going to make the playoffs, but it won't be an easy ride.
Chipper Jones is buying stuff from Shea Stadium. This is kinda cool, but also kinda aggravating. I mean, he is a Hall of Famer who loves hitting at Shea so much he named his son after the stadium. But he's a member of the rival Braves. So annoying.

I always have a knack for getting into bands either after they've broken up or during their farewell tour. This is the case with the Ergs, a wonderful punk act from the less than wonderful state of New Jersey. The vocals are not polished or too deep, which makes them perfect. The slightly nasal and emotive utterances are just what this band needs to layer on top three piece assault. The lyrics, however, are nice and poetic. Take, for example the EP Jersey's Best Prancers. The title is a great play on Lifetime's awesome effort, and the music is just tops. A good drive to every song without everything sounding the same and bland. The vocals help to accent the slightly eccentric collection of songs- everything is distinctly punk and yet everything feels to be influenced by other genres. The vocals, which again have the eerie quality of awesome really bring another side out of the recording.
And even with all this mature style, the songs do not take themselves too seriously- they are songs abut falling in love and listening to music with that special someone. Here, the vocals combine with the subject matter to create the image of a talented young person who just is charming enough to get all those people in the world on to their side. In other words, The Ergs don't pretend to be rock stars- they are just normal people singing songs about life in an everyman voice.
Oh, stop listening to me and just go get an Ergs album, okay?

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