The Bob Gordons are one of those bands that I've seen mentioned around a lot over the last couple of years, but I've been too much of a shit guy to actually pay them some attention. They put out their second album "Why is That Funny?" earlier this month, which was a pretty good motivator to actually check them out. So here's me doing that, finally. Sorry guys!
1 minute in, and I can see the error in my ways. Another fucking tight punk party band to join the ranks of the greats from WA. You might say they're not re-inventing the wheel, but lets be honest, the wheel is already a pretty damn good shape. They've just made it bigger. "Why is that funny" is full of catchy lyrics and vocal harmonies layered over some cool riffs, and their songs vary enough to show off their musical prowess, without looking to bend their genre into something they're not.
The opener, Emu Goes Away is short and sweet. Rhyming "piss in the ocean" and "sun- tan lotion" is fucking genius, 'bout as Aussie as you could get. Colla voce (yeah, I had to google it) with vocal and guitar melodies is always a winner for me, and I'm pleasantly surprised by it in a few of their songs.
The next three tracks in UFC, Dog Rock, and Liability all scream from the early 2000's era punk bands I grew up on, and I can see the chorus and solo in Liability making for an absolutely cracking live set. (Hopefully they stop in Canberra next tour!)
Its hard to miss influences like Area 7 in Nightmares or Frenzal Rhomb in "Punishing Myself" and "Stop Hate" but the band manage to keep their originality, and provide enough of their own flavour in each of the 11 tracks on "Why Is It Funny?"
Rabbit is probably my favourite track on the album, and is by far their heaviest. It drives for the entirety of its 1:48, has a couple of cool guitar hooks, and just sounds like a fun track to play live.
Closing in on the end of the album, Medication speaks to me of anxiety and depression with a side of catchy as fuck, Jerry Seinfeldhair picks up the pace for one last burst of chorus and guitar leads, and leaves us in a high for the closer Magic Glove: a cute story of new love with an inanimate object.
I'm gonna call these guys are the new kings of catchy. I wanna party with The Bob Gordons.
8/9
