Tijuana Sweetheart – Under The Gun
As I sit here on a lovely beach in the Middle East, attempting to avoid artillery fire and land mines (hmm, … was that a scud?), I decide it’s probably best to shut out the stresses and strains of the surroundings by checking out a few tunes on my iPod. To my surprise, the 1st song playing is from the CD, ‘Under The Gun’, by Tijuana Sweetheart (…aah now I remember, Slimedog slipped me a copy just before I left).
Well, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years (…which I might be doing very shortly…), you know that ‘Under The Gun’ is the 3rd album offering by Tijuana Sweetheart; that famous (…or should I say, infamous) all girl quartet out of Boston, MA consisting of Helen, Lauren, Julie and Keri. And, as I’m sure you also know from our various articles, TNB is quite taken with these lovely ladies, who will charm you with their smiles while kicking your ass with their awesome brand of punk rock music.
‘Under The Gun’ is a very interesting CD presenting a wide assortment of styles ranging from garage rock to pop punk to hardcore and even touching on metal. It’s almost as if the ladies of Tijuana Sweetheart are informing the whole world that their musical talents know no bounds. And based on the results, I’d have to agree.
The 1st tune on the CD is their hit single, ‘Fallout’, which TNB has been featuring for quite some time on Bang Tunes (… go check it out, I’ll wait…). It’s a cool tune featuring an up tempo, catchy, garage punkin’ feel. Immediately you get to experience the vast weaponry that the Tijuana’s possess. Kick ass drums and bass combined with tight guitar licks surrounding their secret weapon, Helen’s garage rockin’ textured vocals.
The next tune, ‘Sunday’, is an up tempo garage punk ballad fully equipped with Go-Go style background harmonizing. A simple yet hooky tune which again features Helen’s awesome vocals.
‘Dragging My Heals’ is a bit more straight ahead punk, falling perhaps along the lines of Gen-X or Ramones (oi, oi), with a very cool hooky melody.
The 4th song switches things up a bit as, ‘Heathcliff’, presents a slower Ramonesy tune, with a 50’s style guitar riff. Sort of like something out of Grease.
‘Vanity’ brings us back to a more up tempo, Go-Go’s style offering with lots of cools harmonizing. I like the pace.
And then it’s time for ‘Pistol Whipped’, which is an awesome good time rock n’ roll high energy, garage/metal tune. Reminds me of early Motley Crew, fully equipped with very cool wha-wha guitars. Arguably, my favorite tune on the CD (…hmm, I think their may be one other I like even more… any guesses?).
‘Last Transmission’ is a very interesting tune that reminds me a lot of Bowie. Especially during the switch in tempos for the chorus, “Radio, Radio…”. Very cool tune … oh, no …, sorry, but you’ll have to excuse me while I duck as a grenade is tossed over my head … K’booooom …
OK, I’m back, and just in time, as ‘E.A.T.’, blasts out an awesome hardcore punk romp fully equipped with mosh-able slowdown (… if this was your guess, you win!!!). What’s this!!!, it appears that the fighting has ceased for the moment as both sides start moshing … Wow! the Tijuana’s have single handedly stopped the fighting in the Middle East … Way cool!!! … Uh, … never mind …, some guy just whipped out an uzi and blew away everyone in the mosh pit, Oh well!!!
And, last but not least, the final song is a very nice cover of the Misfit’s tune, ‘Astrozombies’. Swirling with 50’s-ish hooks and harmonized vocals wrapped in a Gen-X feel.
Pretty cool huh?
‘Under The Gun’ is definitely and awesome CD that has something for everyone. As it did for me, it will certainly keep your toes tapping as the bombs of life fly over head. So do yourself a favor and pick up a copy, … you’ll be glad you did. And also make sure you see Tijuana Sweetheart’s great live show when they come to your neighborhood. Here’s a link to their TNB band profile for your enjoyment.
Later,
(Andy Bang)
