By JOHN DALY
Blues Lawyer will bail you out of your misery with innovative music on Something Different, the band’s new album to be released Nov. 8 (Mt.St.Mtn).
There’s no contempt of court as Blues Lawyer’s punk music blends witty advice with fast paced style. The Oakland four-piece, comprised of Elyse Schrock (The World), Rob I. Miller (Mall Walk), Nic Russo (Dick Stusso), and Alejandra Alcala (Preening), supposedly started as a quasi-comedy act based on Miller’s kooky compositions.
But the legal eagles are getting booked at some big Bay Area gigs with bands like Sheer Mag, Gun Outfit, and Omni.
There is fuzzy guitar accompanied by good beats and fun vocals that are punk to the core, only with a new-wave flair and a great sense of the ridiculous that was a hallmark of the 1980s.
The record launches into undeniable originality with title track “Something Different,” that right off the bat gives a feeling of Suburban Lawns meets the Dead Milkmen. It’s like someone took all your problems out of the desk drawer and threw them up into the air.
A classic is “I Owe Money All Over Town,” which hits today’s conundrum right on the head (It is too expensive to be alive today / I would take a job in hell for benefits, good pay”).
The riveting “It’s All A Chore” gives the listener a 27-second blast of fast-paced depression. “What difference does it make?”
“From The Start” is a fun rocker and “Nothing Complex” lays it all out there with some cool fast guitar licks set against shoegazy vocals.
The music of this fun group takes pop-punk and puts it at a stark level, focusing on the realness of life through societally appropriate lyrics. There are 10 tracks on this beauty and all are entertaining.
If Urban Dictionary is any authority, the expression “Blues Lawyer” refers to an expensive guitar that’s likely too good for the rich guy playing it. That is certainly not the case for this band with its guitars, or its recording equipment.
The production value here is a little more on the raw side than a boring, expensive, studio release. And that is truly Something Different.