Review → The Menzingers – Chamberlain Waits (2010)
The Menzingers - Chamberlain Waits
The Menzingers, hailing from beautiful Scranton, PA, won a lot of hearts and minds with their impressive 2007 debut, A Lesson in the Abuse of Information Technology, after which they signed with Red Scare Industries, issued the Hold On, Dodge 7″, and now are cominatcha in 2010 with their sophomore album, Chamberlain Waits.
On the new album, these guys seem to have learned a few new tricks. First and foremost is vocalists Tom and Greg have found an ability to add screamo-esque screaming to their singing. This works better than it sounds, trust me. The ability to jump from beautiful dual-harmonies to tuneful shrieks adds a new dimension of texture to the songs. Not to mention that these two harmonize better than anyone I can think of in punk rock. The way their voices work together is really something else. They got accusations of Auto-Tuning the v0cals, but hearing them live will but those “concerns” to rest. They’re just that good.
And those voices would be wasted if they didn’t have great songs to sing and play. Thankfully, the songs here are great. They keep it fast and aggressive, but definitely poppy and tuneful. The first 5 songs on the album are all excellent, and I can’t imagine skipping a one of them. I have a certain fondness for “Time Tables,” perhaps due it’s familiar tale of young love lost, but probably more for it’s lines “We argued over which Bad Religion album was better/I said No Control or Suffer.” Suffer, of course, is the answer, and who hasn’t had that discussion? I’d write a song about a girl who engaged in that argument with me, no doubt.
As regular readers know, I like to give similar bands as reference points, but I can honestly say I cannot think of another band that really sounds like the Menzingers. They’re kind of pop-punk, but not like Teenage Bottlerocket or the Ergs!. Maybe they fall in more with the somewhat artsier Chicago punks, the scene that brought us bands like Naked Raygun and the like, perhaps then it is fitting that they should fall in with Brendan Kelly of GDTS-favorite the Lawrence Arms (who provides guest vocals on “So It Goes”) and the Chicago-based Red Scare. At any rate, the Menzingers are making music that is all their own, and is also catchy as all hell.
Long story short: this album should be on your short list of Best Records of 2010 candidates. These guys have gone from a very impressive debut to a nearly perfect follow-up. As the excitement around them rightfully builds, you owe it to yourself to check them out.
And if you want to check them out, Punknews.org is streaming some songs from the album! Click here to listen.
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