THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD TO CANDYLAND
Knows Your Sins
(Recess Records)
Purchase This Album Now
There are a couple vital points to be made about TURTC before I even get to the music on this sophomore effort from the San Pedro, California outfit. First, Todd Congelliere fronts this band, and if you haven’t been a fan of at least one of his bands (F.Y.P, TOYS THAT KILL, STONED AT HEART) it’s pretty safe to say you don’t enjoy anything related to punk rock. Second, Knows Your Sins is on Recess Records, a staunch indie label that used to sell their records via poorly scrawled out handwritten ads in fanzines, and over the last two decades has delivered handfuls of punk records that will one day sit on a shelf as classic pieces of wax. However, if neither of those points is sufficient enough to peak your interest, rest assured TURTC warrant a listen on their own merits, despite the lengthy heritage running through the band.
Often sounding like the sum of all the bands Congelliere has been a part of, Knows Your Sins oozes with pop-punk melodies, jangly indie-rock guitar work, plenty of sing-a-long choruses and even a smattering of surf rock to the equation. Much like F.Y.P the subject matter here is mostly silly, as the band opt for a non-serious approach, often taking a simple hook and injecting bouncy guitars that keep your toes tapping and your head bobbin’. Though this may not move with the intensity most often reserved for a punk disc, there’s no doubt a deeply ingrained punk spirit lingers within these tracks, even if this is a more subdued Congelliere project. Production wise a big step up from their 2007 disc Bird Roughs, TURTC are doing the upbeat, quirky punk rock sound better than just about anyone that, in its simplicity, is quite brilliant. (TH)
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