The Pietasters – The Pietasters
welcome back to the Skaject folks! this week we’re taking a look at another new band to the Skaject, The Pietasters! they got their start in 1990 in the Washington D.C. area, and put this self-titled record, also called Piestomp by the fans –
got a short instrumental Intro here thats pretty fun before leading into Dollar Bill, in a transition thats a bit odd. Dollar Bill feels very Mustard Plug-y, to my ear. i think its pretty fun (especially the extremely frantic drumming, hell yeah) but it doesnt blow me away or anythin. Perfect World hews a lot closer to the British sounds, and i had a blast with this one – i think it gets a bit weaker as it goes but its still very fun. Little Engine was a song that surprised me a lot – the rhythm and melodies here are really infectious and its such an unassuming track at first, but i really got into it, haha. Night Owl’s fine but the vocals get a bit repetitive for me. Model Citizen’s another thats playing in real humorous space – fun song. i like the Simmer Down nods, and they get into some real rambunctious space in the bridges here, haha. Factory Concerto is a transitional track here, a kind of Intro to the B-Side, but man i really like the big band sound of this one. Ace Miller is high energy and packed with some cool performances. Metro is instrumental – its fast, its frenetic, its a blast. big fan. Five Days of the Week feels like theyre trying to channel Madness, and theyre like halfway there. this feels so close to a really strong track. Catalog Bohemian is a neat song – vocals are a tad weak here, and im not sure whats going on with the lyrics but its got a fun energy musically. Pie Taster is killer, not gonna lie. Without You’s fine, but definitely an odd closer.
faves – Little Engine, Factory Concerto, Metro, Pie Taster
dislikes –
huh. probably not super complementary of their vocalist or lyricist that a lot of my favorite songs off here were the instrumental tracks, huh. i dunno! i just didnt find many of the lyrics super compelling, and the vocals were solid but not super impressive. i think a part of it is that its my familiarity with Mustard Plug, as lyrically it feels like theyre trying to hit a similar style, and this record rarely sets itself apart from that mental expectation i set.
honestly though, i dont want that to count against the record too much – this was a very good listen, and it feels like its pulling a lot of what was coming out of the British Ska scene and presenting a really tight package of those sounds. i say this a lot, but i really am excited to hear more Pietasters if this is where theyre kicking off from.
The Pietasters – 6/10
next week, we’re checking out the Rancid EP Radio Radio Radio, also from 1993.
previous: Out of Nowhere | next: Radio Radio Radio
this is the first Pietasters release | next: Ooolooolooo
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