Hope for Men

this band has the noise rock thing going on (not unlike the jesus lizard) but with a pop sensibility with songs like "i've still got you, ice cream." which is light-hearted and fun. pieces like "scrapbooking" and "the jogger" takes a look at two very interesting subjects in spoken word formats, bizarre to say the least. outstanding points in this album: drums are noisy and fun, vocals and lyrics are demented, drawbacks: too much rock, not enough noise (softer than their previous album, shallow. )

Pissed Jeans are rad. This album kicks you in the teeth and shoves them down your throat. Brutal, fierce and hard

If you've been bemoaning the general state of rock music lately, in particular the neutered whining that gets labeled as "punk," then have I got the band for you. The delightfully named Pissed Jeans hail from Allentown, Pennsylvania (that's right, like the Billy Joel song) and the ennui/alienation of working-class life in a depressed economy comes through in their music like pus from an infected wound. Instead of the classic rock stylings of Bruce Springsteen or John Mellencamp, this band gravitates more toward brutal, soul-dead noise rock, the kind that hasn't been around for a long time. While many of today's underground noise-heads (Wolf Eyes, Sightings, Lightning Bolt) keep at least one cloven foot in the avant-free-improv scene, Pissed Jeans stick to the doctrine of more rock, less art. There was a bygone era, the late 80s to early 90s, when indie labels like Amphetamine Reptile were famed soley for this kind of stuff (if you liked one AmRep release, you'd like them all), and bands like Cows, Hammerhead and Janitor Joe had cult followings among a certain brand of hipster. It was assumed the alt.rock explosion, and implosion, had killed off this sort of thing, but Pissed Jeans, not to mention the English band Part Chimp, are here to prove that theory wrong. Even longtime vets Unsane are back with a new disc ( Visqueen ), so maybe a noise-rock resurrection is afoot. Pissed Jeans are even signed to Sub Pop--their original roster of bands like Tad and Mudhoney probably influenced them. While their plodding, pounding and feedback bleeding exertions aren't exactly a new thing, in fact it's really kind of retro, this is the kind of mad-at-the-world-but-too-screwed-up-to-do-anything-about-it racket that, oddly enough, acts as a balm when you feel trapped in Bush-occupied-America.

...with a name like that you will have obvious expectations for something agressive and inappropriate...along with the CD cover where we have two half naked men hugging eachother...yes...something obscure is expected......and what are we given? A full on galore of fuzzed up distorted guitars to create a thick and dirty tone that Mudhoney did oh so well those many years ago...only this is more agressive and screamy...seems to share alot of traits with the predecessor though......the sound is thick and dirty (like pissed jeans) and is recommended to all who want a sound barrier of heavy distortion...and although there is much better out there...they really can't be knocked for making something so heavily moving...like a limping komodo dragon (I don't know why I always have to compare CD's to animals ok?)...so...buy it if you just want flat out distortion and you're already aware and experienced in this genre...if not...find a better starting point...

JUST LISTEN TO "I STILL GOT YOU ICE CREAM" SEE HOW LONG IT TAKES YOU TO GET IT OUT OF YOUR HEAD. THEY SOUND LIKE NIRVANA MIXED WITH BLACK FLAG MIXED WITH BLACK SABBATH MIXED WITH JESUS LIZARD. THEYRE OK IN MY BOOK.

pissed jeans may have smelt it on this one, but there is no denying they also dealt it. five stars!