Black Tape
After hearing a taste of what The Explosion are about on their recent single, 'Here I Am', I was curious to find out whether they could keep up the sharp melodies and spiky punk-pop throughout an entire album. Well, Black Tape certainly lived up to expectations and have produced a damn good collection of songs, each one as fun and energetic as the next.
Personally, I tend to prefer slightly more gritty punk, but Black Tape manages to keep things raucous and inexhaustible whilst keeping a polished, poppy edge.
'Deliver Us' is a fairly poor introduction, as it doesn't particularly stand out and only really gets going about halfway through. It isn't very memorable, but certainly gets your feet tapping and is the perfect throwaway pop song. 'Filthy Insane' brings things more up to beat, stomping and shouty, it would have probably made a better introduction, as despite sounding quite similar, it contains the charm and head-nodding antics than 'Deliver Us' lacks.
'Here I Am' is one of the most polished tracks on the album, reeking of pop sensibilities and jumping-in-unison mosh pits. This isn't to say it's bad – not at all – its edge sets it apart from other pop-punk sing-a-longs and for the first single, this would be the obvious choice. But in terms of the bands' overall sound, this probably isn't the best representation. 'I Know' adds a good slice of rock n' roll into the proceedings, and is a suprising step away from their previous, poppier songs and even their punk roots. The vocals sound much more raspy and laid-back and the guitar lines are extremely catchy.
The foot-stomping 'We All Fall Back Down' continues in the same vein as 'I Know' and yet still manages to seamlessly pull off a chanty, harmonious chorus. 'Mothers Cry' reverts back to Blink-182-style bouncy punk, but fortunately for everyone listening, it doesn't include Tom DeLonge's whiny vocals. It isn't anything too impressive though, and sounds very similar to a lot of other sunny punk songs, and doesn't contain the slight edge that the other tracks boast.
'Atrocity' begins strongly and sees them reverting to a slightly less bubble-gum tinged sound, despite the fairly average chorus that appears to lack any passion or originality. It'd probably be a good one to have a bop to at one of their gigs, but on CD it wouldn’t be any great loss if you accidentally skipped it.
'Go Blank' brings things back up to speed, with a strong beat and chanting chorus making it one of the strongest tracks on the album. 'No Revolution' is another great track, full of passion and anger, and 'Heavyweight' brings back the stomping verses and pounding drums, although occasionally it seems to be a bit slow and plodding. 'Grace' is a melodic chunk of polished punk, and 'Hollywood Sign' brings things to the perfect close.
All in all, The Explosion have delivered the goods. It isn't very original, but it's certainly worth checking out.