Review:

on 2007-01-04 AndyFromJersey Said:

This is the debut album from Bomb The Music Industry! , a loose collective formed after front man Jeff Rosenstock’s first band, Arrogant Sons of Bitches, went on hiatus. Rosenstock, afraid of being washed up at twenty two years old, locked himself in a bedroom and devoted his time to writing and recording. True to their name, the group is adamantly opposed to the music industry (well, really just record labels) and distributes all of their music for free on their official website. Rosenstock, disenchanted with the current status of his musical career and full of new ideas as well as the wrath of a misspent youth, sat down and recorded the album more or less all by himself using only his home computer. The result is BTMI’s unique blend of third wave ska, synth driven pop, and blistering hardcore. All of the songs focus on blatantly adolescent and self destructive themes, penned with a surprising amount of cleverness, given the subject matter of the songs. Rosenstock is also unabashedly the singer from hell. When he’s not just yelling, he’s singing mostly in plaintive moans without the whiny tenor seen in most bands record companies would like you to consider hardcore. Though the prominence of synthesizers and drum machines may come as unexpected additions to certain hardcore and ska punk purists, this album is perfect for fans of indie rock with decidedly punk preferences. Key tracks on Album Minus Band include “Big Plans of Sleeping In,” an easygoing (well, for these guys, anyway) 6/8 tune in which the narrator of the song and his significant other lock themselves away from the world to bemoan society and drink the day away, and “Ready! Set No!!” which contains the line “I never was a drinker—now I’m an alcoholic,” effectively summing up Rosenstock’s opinion on his own inherently illogical behavior. The rest of the album is no less explosive, being consistently riddled with hateful sarcasm directed at the Bush administration, various people in Rosenstock’s life, and the world in general. This is a fun yet prolific album that is bound to become a must for fans of DIY punk and indie types who aren’t afraid of a little angsty, punk heavy rockin’.
Rating: 9/10