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The Bangkok Five: 10 the Hard Way EP
[Aeronaut]

This EP is fairly well put together, even if slightly confusing at times.  The first thing to get confused about is how many songs are on the release.  There may be an explanation for why 10 the Hard Way includes only five songs, but nobody bothered explaining it to me.  It could be a thinly veiled Pat Benatar reference since she had an LP with a similar title almost twenty years ago, but dont pick this up expecting a track like Invincible.

The Bangkok Five specialize in rather heavily produced garage rock, which may sound like a bit of a non sequitur, but its the best way to describe them, really.  Theyre pretty good at it too, and this EP comes off sounding like a strange mix between The Hives and Electric Six.  The vocalist certainly has similarities to the vocalists of both of those bands, and he comes off pretty confident and controlling.  The guitars are quite frantic in parts, but every note still seems carefully thought out, perhaps sacrificing some of the chaos this band could induce live.  The last track Sunk is a bit quieter, and the singer surprises me again with a voice that occasionally reminds me of Catherine Wheels Rob Dickinson.

In todays garage rock game, all The Bangkok Five are really missing is a gimmick.  I dont think that plastering their LP with Asian strippers will endear them to many indie rock circles, at least not with as much success as Electric Six pulled off by posing with a track like Gay Bar.  However, 10 the Hard Way could make five strong songs of album filler if the band came up with a track that made them stand out from the crowd a bit more.

The Bangkok Five Official Website

Check Amazon, Insound and CD Universe to purchase this album.

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