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BANDS: Punk
& Ska INTERESTS: Venues ETC... About
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The Safes:
Family Jewels
At the center of the garage-rock debate is the issue of whether or not the bands that heavily borrow from the proto-punkers have any relevance. Well, the answer to that argument is this: if you like it, then listen to it. If you don't like it, then shut the hell up and go back to your Iggy Pop and MC5 records. Both sides have legitimate points to make, but the "purists" will be left in the dark when it comes to the new breed of garage-punk revival bands such as The Paybacks, The Go and The Safes. With Family Jewels, the O'Malley brothers are doin' it for themselves while invading the playlist rotations of college radio stations across the country. The most curious aspect of the album is that the O'Malley's decided to enlist a pastiche of engineers for this album. The cavalry features Brian Deck, Andy Gerber, Mike Zirkel and Mark Schwartz as the main guns; so that leaves at least one producer for each brother in the band. However, one is left to wonder why The Safes did not ask Doug McBride to come on board when they were recording at the Gravity studio in Chicago. Nevertheless, the results are tantalizing. This is especially during "Hole," which is a slowed-down number that is eerily reminiscent of some of Arthur Lee's work with Love. Most of the tracks on this record feature the hard-driving signature sound of 99% of the garage-punk revivalists, but the difference between The Safes and The Hives is that The Hives is just another novelty act that probably cant name five of Punk's forefathers while The Safes hint at almost all of the significant ones throughout the record. Cheap Trick and Big Star remain huge influences on this album, particularly with "Impossibility," a track carefully laced with jangly guitar hooks and a chorus that is a nod in Joe Strummer's direction. Those out there who are quick to dismiss this record as just another throwback should consider "Mystery," which is creepy to the nines with its bleak piano and haunting strings that serve as a perfect accompaniment to the thoughtful lyrics that Frankie O'Malley lilts. Perhaps the title of the song is a reference to the time ? & the Mysterians shared a stage in concert. The album's closer, "Better Things to Do," is a fine example of when a band writes a song better than the band that should have written it. In this case, the band that should have written it is Oasis, yet the O'Malley brothers triumph over the Gallagher brothers all the way through. So here you have it; an American band that reclaims garage rock in the gritty way it should be done rather than the way those damn culture-less Swedes have been known to do. The Safes prove time and time again that rock comes straight from the heart and not the hipster apparel that you don.
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