This isn’t so much a review of a record from 2004 as it is a remembrance of one of my favorite bands more overlooked offerings. “Crimes” hit a mere one year after the Blood Brothers’ best* record in their illustrious career, “…Burn, Piano Island, Burn.” To follow that up could not have been an easy feat, and it’s probably the reason “Crimes” never got its due. While BPIB is an amazing set of songs front to back, I’ve, as of late, come to appreciate the songs on “Crimes” in a new way.I’m not going to get into the details of the recording, but if you want to know more about the producer and themes, check out the Wiki.
There’s no doubt that the album is less coherent and, in turn, less approachable than BPIB, but when you start to listen closer, at least for me, you find the hidden intricacies. Love Rhymes with Hideous Car Wreck is by far the most sing-alongable track, but the ferocity and pounding drums of Teen Heat, Trash Flavored Trash, My First Kiss at the Public Execution and Wolf Party have been ravaging my psyche and keeping me sane in gridlock traffic to and from work. That could be my reasoning for liking this album so much. I’ve heard and analyzed Burn Piano since it came out in 2003. I never gave the same close listen to Crimes. Of course, since it’s the Blood Brothers, I seem to be the only one I can agree with to listen to it on a daily basis, before 7AM, at full volume.
Hands down my favorite part of the album lies right in the middle. As Rats and Rats and Rats for Candy ends with some incredibly loud and abrasive tones, the in-comparison-calm of the title track, Crimes, chimes in. Just a good segway into the second half of the album.
I don’t know many people anymore that still give the Blood Bros the same attention I do and they once did, but I guess that’s growing up. Nights at home with the lady aren’t exactly the appropriate time for such noisy rock. And that’s cool. I still know K likes em, just when the situation calls. For me, that’s more often as driving fast and screaming my brains out seem to go hand in hand. And she’s a fan of Jaguar Love, so that’s something, too.
Choice lyrics from this release include:
As you make your way back to the financial district. / The subway is a numb field.
And every dazed boy and girl makes you lick your lips. / And the girl with the accordion, chewing grass like a lamb. – Wolf Party
If the brick you throw / puts a bullet in your skull / police boot lands atop your gaping jaw.
Hey, Peacock?
Yeah, what’s that?
I just wanna know what the babies mouth is full of.
Is it flies, or cries, or straw? – Peacock Skeleton with Crooked Feathers
A hot tub stuffed with gorgeous ass? (We want it!)
Bronzed lips? Mouth full of cash? (We need it!)
A sizzling tan? Life of the party? (We want it!)
A full-length mirror for every inch of your body? (We need it!) – Teen Heat
‘If we rob the
liquor store we could
be in Tijuana by the crack of dawn.
and if we rob the
Mayor’s mansion
we could pawn his modern art and make a fortune.
and if we rob the lonely widow,
we could steal her credit cards
and buy a cottage by the Ocean
And we could swim in to Junk Island
we’ll burn up like the seagulls and the whiskey bottles. – Crimes
But some things never get better
Like used cars and bad livers
So you traded her in for a better looking brand
One with fake porno tits
A pad lock on her lips
Disposable tan
Biodegradable hands – Love Rhymes With Hideous Car Wreck
If you do give it a listen, pay attention. Sure, it may just sound like angry speakers yelling at you from all directions, and for those who aren’t Blood Brothers fans, that’s exactly what it is. But sometimes, in life, you need a little abrasion. And, as Johnny Whitney screams, “Everybody needs a little Devastation!” It’s true. We do. Get wrecked.
Enjoy the video for Love Rhymes…
Love Rhymes with Hideous Car Wreck
- W.G.P.
*”Best” is a relative term in this case referring to the number of people I personally know that think Burn Piano Island Burn is the best Blood Brothers record. I agree to an extent, as I celebrate the band’s entire catalog.
