On their first full-length record since 2017, The Trigger Complex, Long Beach punk legends T.S.O.L keep raising the bar. With a nostalgic sound and retakes on a few classic songs, A Side Graffiti doesn’t have a dull moment.
From the opening of “Low-Low-Low,” a sound explosion of the band’s full strength welcomes the listener. While a simple guitar chord progression leads the song through twists and turns, underlying synths, lead guitar solos, and even a Mario Kart-style xylophone enrich the track. Lead singer Jack Grisham leads with gusto to help round out the effort.
The original songs on the album all take different colors from each other. “Rhythm of Cruelty” and lead single “Swimming” take on a more traditional punk sound with some ’80s synth added for good measure. “Ghost Train” hits on a similar sound, but Grisham adds a more David Bowie-esque drawl to the track with a helpful lead guitar wail to accompany him.
“The Way You Groove,” on the other hand, mixes a more standard California beach sound and adds the nostalgia of a John Waters film, plus a quick Jenny Lewis “Red Bull and Hennessey” piano trip. Grisham’s voice has a certain sense of longing to become someone he’s not, evoking how admiration drives that change.
“It’s the way you hold yourself as others seldom do / It’s the way you shut your mouth, a thing I’d never do / It’s the way you groove / It’s the way you moved.”
What’s most surprising and great about this album is the depth of its covers. The record has everything from Louis Armstrong to Rocky Horror Picture Show. Speaking of that more jazz-infused cover, featuring Keith Morris as Brad, Grisham was made to be Doctor Frank N Furter. This song could be easily confused with the original. Female backup singers and all.
On the other hand, the Louis Armstrong cover of his classic “What a Wonderful World” and a David Bowie number “Can You Hear Me” show the band’s much lighter fare. Courted by strings and light piano, there’s a new dimension to the former, something more emotional than the original, with adjusted lyrics to reflect that hopelessness.
Unexpectedly, though, the best song on the album has to be “1 Thing.” Yes, that “1 Thing” performed initially by Amerie and its slowed-down counterpart was heard every six seconds on TikTok, completely out of the blue.
But T.S.O.L does it perfectly.
The guitars are still around, with a few of them using distortion to simulate record scratches and a few electronics helping it keep that lighter bounce. The drums maintain more of a punk flair, but they’re pretty in tune with the original. Grisham adds a more silver-tongued flair to the track.
Most of the ab-libs originally in the song are replicated by female vocalists, so it doesn’t lose that creative edge. It might be one of the best covers of the year.
Overall, A Side Graffiti has multiple A-side hits and remakes, making it an incredible album. This record doesn’t give one thing that will have an audience tripping, wrapping them up instead.
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