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CHEERLEADER
www.cheerleaderofficial.com
Swedish hard rockers Cheerleader have a terrible band name and a not so great logo that adorns the front cover of their debut album, 'Vegas or Bust'. However, far be it from me to judge anything on a surface level and, fortunately, upon spinning this disc a few times and fully digesting the songs, their music is far better than first impressions would lead you to believe. Why they opted for such a banal and inane name is anyone's guess as in a genre saturated with a deluge of bands fighting for attention, Cheerleader don't rise forth as an act that would encourage you to check them out. A shame really as the nine songs that comprise 'Vegas or Bust' are infectiously catchy slices of hard rock/metal full to the brim with memorable hooks and a likeable raw energy. Wholly generic and clichéd but ever so well executed. With self-proclaimed influences of Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, The Cult, Foo Fighters, Guns N' Roses, and The Beatles, that will give you some idea what to expect. Opening track 'My Love to Someone Else' is The Cult through and through, 'Dead End Town' conveys a more Aerosmith vibe, while 'The Pirate Song' is evidently Beatles inspired. Other songs contain more a fusion of styles - 'Serving Sam (Break It Down)' is a particularly likeable composition with its Iommi-esque guitar parts over a down-tempo intro and verse neatly contraposed with some up tempo rockier passages à la Foo Fighters. Bass playing frontman Joel Ek has a fairly versatile voice, powerful at both its low and high end, with a slight punk rock tonality at moments that adds to the raw energy of the songs. With a playing time of a little over half an hour, it's perhaps a little cheeky calling this release an album but at least it contains no filler and pertains to a no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point vibe. Overall, 'Vegas or Bust' is a promising start for Cheerleader's career so let's hope they're not hampered by such a naff band name.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Angry Shark Records
Album
VEGAS OR BUST
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Review by Mark Holmes
RUNNING TIME:
32:13
RELEASE DATE:
24th Oct 2011
TRACK LISTING
1) My Love to Someone Else
2) What's So Hard
3) Dead End Town
4) Arrange
5) The Pirate Song
6) Generation Shit
7) Serving Sam (Break It Down)
8) Wasted Hours
9) Wherever You May Be
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Sweden
"...infectiously catchy slices of hard rock/metal full to the brim with memorable hooks and a likeable raw energy."
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