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Review: Emma Whitelaw
SCHMACK! is like a short sharp slap in the face, or
should I say, on the behind! From the word go, Schmack!
hits the listener with fast talking, in-your-face, addictive lyrics.
Steriogram's humour is very tongue-in-cheek.
They’re cheeky little upstarts and boy do they love it!
The first single, Walkie Talkie Man, can already be
heard as the kick-ass tune rocking over the new IPod ad and the
hilarious life-on-the-road video is soon set to take over our
TV screens.
The story begins back in June 1999. Frontman, Brad Carter, and
bassist, Jake Adams, were longtime friends from a tiny town called
Whangarei (pronounced Fun ga ray) when they met up with guitarist,
Tim Youngson, and rapper/vocalist, Tyson Kennedy, in Auckland
and started playing gigs around the area which became notoriously
manic.
After an independent release, Soccerstar, and appearances
at the Big Day Out Festival in their native homeland, they gained
much welcomed local success. But it wasn’t until the follow-up,
White Trash, that they really achieved true blue credibility.
The album is as entertaining as it is comical. Addressing topics
of being true white trash, avoiding the authority of a security
man, and taking their van on the road for their shot, Steriogram
breathes life into an industry full of disposable pop punk. And
there's no doubt about it that these boys can rock.
They’re one for the teens and adults alike, and look set
to be next in line for punk stardom. In a similar vein to aging
punksters Blink 182, Green Day and The Offspring, their sound
is almost identical to fellow antipodeans, Regurgitator, especially
in the sense that they combine clever lyrics with downright rocking
rifts.
The title track, Schmack!, is particularly amusing coming
up with a new way to find your perfect lady through advertising:
Female Flatmate Wanted.
The self-accepting, Fat and Proud, is another that gets
a well worthy chuckle. But it’s not all about the laughs;
they are incredibly talented musicians too!
Overall, the boys have put together one helluva rockin album
that goes far beyond what you hear in the short space of an IPod
ad. Buy it – you will not be disappointed!
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Track listing:
1. Roadtrip
2. Walkie Talkie Man
3. Schmack!
4. Was The Day
5. White Trash
6. In The City
7. Go
8. Fat And Proud
9. Tsunami
10. Wind It Up
11. Be Good To Me
12. On And On
13. "Making Of..." (video)
14. Walkie Talkie Man (video)
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