Thursday March 28th 2024

The Only Things – “The Only Things”

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The Only Things – “The Only Things”

 

The only things I need are beer, Mexican food and punk rock.

The Only things are a rock’n’roll band from Lowell, MA

The only things you really need to know about them is they have really great songs that I’d classify as punk’n’roll, garage rock, kick ass types of songs with great, emotional, heart on your sleeve writing.

The Only Things need nothing much else added.

Their music speaks volumes for them.

But I guess I need to try:

“In Town” start with some high velocity electrical, chunky guitar getting pounded by some double hits like a classic AC/DC number. Once the rock solid drums kick in, were into a sparse verse that leads into a majestically, melodic chorus. “You run around, you wonder why, I’m not around, in town.” I think this song may be about an ex who he crawled into her black eyeliner and disappeared but now wants to avoid (into the void and back out) at all cost. But this garage rockin’, pop’n’punkin’ song delivered with power and passion with the drums, near the end, bum rushing it out the door, like an unruly patron, in an unnamed bar while an awesome song is playing- fucking rules!

With some upbeat hits and jangly guitar, “Nice Guys Get The Zig” could be an intro to a Tom Petty song, but there’s too much energy brewing here to settle for that. “From a desperate voice on your telephone,” leads into a chorus with a rhythm guitar that’s going for the jugular, like a psychotic sushi chef who’s off his meds. “This girls rejection that I put myself through, the humiliation feels like home. I don’t want to know how much I wanted you.” While the drums hit the snare on every beat and the harmonic back-up vocals sail in and the emotions ring along with the guitars. My favorite line is “I hope your friends are laughing when you read what I wrote. Well, I guess if someone gets a laugh at it, then it’s a joke.” This guy seems to have no luck with the girls and wins every time with the songs.

“Man Of Stone” starts with some slashing rhythm guitar answering some high guitar lead and a vocal quote form the fifties hit song “I Only Have Eyes For You.” This song moves along in a steady funk beat with a groove like a classic seventies rock band might lay down, minus the cowbell. “Did you cry and decry…Did it haunt you to find, that I’m a man of stone?” With a rockin’ AC/DC like groove, Byrds like guitar interplay, stridently intense vocals- these are all ingredients that add up to another great tune.

With four drum hits leading it in and a terrific, guitar riff, “Let’s Go To The Moon” is the reason I was drawn to check out this album after seeing them play this song live. Quite simply, this is one of the best songs I’ve heard since TNB started five or six years ago. “Let’s start a new scene, where it’s just you and me. Let’s go to the moon.” With it’s emotional feeling, minimalistic guitar lines and energetic groove it reminds me of The Pixies at their best. “There’s no oxygen up there, I can’t tell you how we’ll breathe, but we’ll finally make a serious change, if we finally groove, if we go to the moon.” I don’t know if I like so much the hope or the hopelessness of this song, it’s too hard to tell. But it’s not hard to tell how much I totally love this song.

“Mishawum” starts out with a bouncing, happy beat that was first used in Motown, then later on in many songs like “Maneater” by Hall & Oates and “Lust For Life” by Iggy Pop. “Thought I’d save those words until they meant something- but I saved nothing.” This is cheerful music that contains lyrics that are bleak and desperate. “Why should everything I want be so far away?…Now I’m hurting her with my existence.” This songs seems to be about loss, frustration and failure but succeeds as a song that rings perfectly true.

“I could feel my heart break on the first night that we met, I never thought that I could be so easy to forget.” Which might explain why this song is called “King Of Bitter.” Another rhythmically punchy song with expressive, poignant lyrics. “Look for me tonight in that heavy rain, where I can cry my miserable refrain.” Listen to your ears, here’s another great one.” “Well, I could be okay,” doesn’t change the fact, this album is great.

I can see some folks questioning me choosing this band. Oh, it’s looks like Slimedog’s lost it! Well, that already happened, long ago. probably before they were born.

In the eighties this music The Only Things play, might’ve been called new wave or power pop and then, in the nineties maybe pop punk, a term I despise.

But this is punk mixed with rock’n’roll and garage rock, this is punk’n’roll! This is not weak and flabby like indie- no nonsensical, or take the easy way, “irony” way out. This is not alternative- shriek along on in moody angst with no real emotional commitment, just toss off phrases like “post-hardcore.” Folks, anything your “post” of means you’re not of that style anymore. When I die, please don’t describe me as “post-life.”

But more important than how you classify it, this is an album of great songs with great songwriting and lyrics and feelings that are real and true. Along with great playing that rocks hard and expresses- this is like a mix of The Replacements, AC/DC and The Pixies, garnished with a lime.

And finally, while not overtly punk, in it’s heart and soul it certainly deserves to be here.

But what do I know? I’ve only been listening to punk for forty years.

And some of it is really good.

And some of that is here.

(Slimedog)

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