Beat Beat Beat - Living In The Future [IMPORT] - New LP

NOW WAVE MAGAZINE (USA) It's official - everybody loves Beat Beat Beat. You, me, your little brother, my graybeard uncle, your underaged girlfriend, '77 nostalgists, pop-punk kids, garage scenesters, mosh pit warriors, degenerate punk rockers, record collector geeks, Killed By Death enthusiasts, militia men, disco dancers, gay Republicans, gaming nerds, racist comedians, and four out of five dentists all agree that Living In the Future is one of the year's best albums.

Blurring the distinctions between melodic hardcore, powerpop, and '77 punk, Beat Beat Beat's speedy, tuneful attack is certain to go over grandly with every last sector of the Now Wave readership. Many amongst the Now Wave family have been keen on this Atlanta group for a couple years now, and I imagine many more will be jumping aboard the bandwagon shortly. Hotly anticipated ever since the band's Douchemaster single hit the streets early last year, the full-length debut Living In the Future does not disappoint in the least. This was a release so big that it took two of my favorite record labels to get it out into the world! While just about every person who reads this webzine is a fan of the melodic side of punk, a great number of you have grown weary of the highly-derivative, retro-leaning acts that tend to make that kind of music. Beat Beat Beat, thankfully, engage in neither blatant imitation nor substandard hero worship. One might hear echoes of past (Adolescents, early Replacements, numerous KBD favorites) and recent (Exploding Hearts, Marked Men, Stitches) punk greats in the band's music, but you can't really say that Beat Beat Beat sounds like any of those bands. The group plays some of the freshest, most distinct sounding punk music you'll hear anywhere. The album title is kind of appropriate, because this is as modern and "current" sounding as classic punk gets. So even if these fellows aren't exactly living in the future, at least they aren't stuck in the past. And great songs like "Don't Tell Me Now", "Nasty Nightmare", "Leave Me Out", and "Savage Girl" are as catchy and tuneful as anything being churned out by far less original "pop" specialists. From wire to wire, Living In the Future flat-out rips. The playing is tight, fast, and fiery. The songs are efficient, satisfying, and not at all formulaic. The singing is urgent, strong, and just as on-key as it needs to be. In a day and age when hype is king and very little turns out nearly as great as it's supposed to, it's a true delight to hear Beat Beat Beat exceed all expectations. What an album!

SAVAGE MAGAZINE (SWEDEN) Musically these guys have been living in the past, they're heavily influenced by Aussie punk circa 1977. And it sounds really great. They've got the hooks, the pop sense and the rock to pull this off. Maybe the songs they've penned aren't as memorable as, say the Saints, but it does sound great and it makes me want to pull out my Aussie stuff and lsiten again. As far as this kind of punkrock go these days, Beat Beat Beat are great. Most bands attempting this usually fall into the 'actionrock' genre with "heavy, man" guitars and boring songs with solos that go on for waaaay too long. If you like bands like the aforementioned Saints, Lipstick Killers, Fun Things (who they cover by way of "When the Birdmen Fly", which sounds good but maybe it should have been left out), then by all means check this LP out. It's sure to get your legs achin for the dancefloor and get you pulling out your airguitar!

TERMINAL BOREDOM (USA) To be honest, I had worries regarding this LP. There are few who loved their seven-inch from last year more than me (I own four copies if you need proof), but the CD-R that circulated sometime later didn't do it for me. It made me wonder if they could pull off a whole LP, or if the single just happened to be a fluke, as great as it was. After a good twenty or so listens (the first dozen or so on CD, the rest on vinyl after it finally appeared) I'm happy to know that my worrying was for naught. Beat Beat Beat have crafted a great record here, reprising two songs from the single and adding ten more, including a well-executed Fun Things cover. Their update of the Thunders/Heartbreakers sound touched with streaks of power-pop, Dead Boys, and even a little bit of classic UK-influence is done so well it becomes more than the sum of its parts. This sort of stuff can be done very wrong very easily, but BBB manage to keep things fast, well structured and hooky, avoiding the pitfalls any less-talented band with this mode of operation would certainly fall prey to. The Dave Carbona production on this is airtight with the guitars sounding spot on, drums are crisp, every thing layered just right. And speaking of guitars, I'm thinking Josh (doing double duty in The Carbonas) might be responsible for some of the hottest punk licks being spat out in this day and age. And this band's vocals, in my mind at least, are just the right combo of snot and slight hoarseness, delivered urgently and emotively without resorting to outright screaming or cornball vocal mugging/sneering. Song-wise I'm partial to "Don't Tell Me Now", "Hate Me" and "I'm A Disease", but there ain't a dud in this bunch. This thing charges out the speakers in a hurry, doesn't linger for too long, a concise effort that cements their place as contenders. These guys are creeping up on The Carbonas for the title in the ATL/Deep South Division. (RK)

KICK OUT THE JAMS (SPAIN) Tras su disco pequeño para la marca Douchemaster y con el que consiguieron que los tenga en mi cabeza, los de Atlanta entregan un discazo de punk rock de verdad, nada de velocidad sin tension, aqui las guitarras vibran e invocan a nombres grandes en el submundo del rock and roll Saints ó Dead Boys, se han emborrachado de la serie Killed by the Death y el resultado son cinco chavalines con un disco absolutamente demencial, un disco que escupe actitud , que suena a punk rock, que suena a ganas de comerse el mundo y vaya si lo consiguen con canciones como “Don´t Tell me Now”, “I´m a Disease”, la versión que se marcan del tema de los australianos Fun Things “When the Birdmen Fly” creo que es un claro reflejo de todo lo que pretende y consiguen estos Beat Beat Beat, si las guitarras de Deniz Tek te han pateado el trasero cada vez que los Radio Birdman sonaban en tu equipo, prepárate para estos Beat, Beat, Beat, si te enloquece la parte pop de los Undertones, las guitarras que descienden al maeltrom, el Jeff Dalh partiendose la cara Cheetah Chrome, y las infinidad de nuevas bandas que están dando una vuelta de tuerca al espiritu del 77 en estos tiempo que corren, ya estas llamando a tu hombre y vendiendo tu alma por escuchar temazos como “Leave Me Out”, “Savage Girl”, “Why Should I”, como nota para los fans de los Carbonas, Dave lo ha grabado y la edición en vinilo de Alien Snatch suena de miedo. Pasoteeeeeeeeeeeee de disco. (OA)

Dig It ! (FRANCE) On commence avec un de nos labels préférés et deux nouvelles références qui viennent enrichir le magnifique catalogue de la maison allemande. Beat Beat Beat déboulent d’Atlanta, comme les Carbonas que nous chroniquions dans le numéro précédent. Et les accointances sont nombreuses puisqu’ils viennent non seulement d’effectuer une tournée américaine ensemble mais c’est en plus Dave “Carbona” (le batteur) qui s’est chargé d’enregistrer ce premier album, Living In The Future. Très bon soit dit en passant, avec des guitares teigneuses et un chant morveux gorgé de delay. Entre punk millésimé 77 et mélodies powerpop (“Psycho”, “Nasty Nightmare”). On passera sur le morceau d’ouverture, peu marquant -ou alors trop marqué par les Clash- pour sauter directement à l’énervé “Sinking Slow” ou au frénétique “Sick Sad”. La face B s’ouvre sur “When the Birdmen Fly” une belle reprise des Fun Things (dont il est indispensable d’acquérir l’intégrale, je vous le rappelle... le tout tient sur un single !), puis “Eyeballs Jones” aux accents sixties, avant de reprendre l’autoroute punk... Mais avec suffisamment de recul et d’inventivité pour que le voyage se passe le mieux possible (vous inquiétez pas ça bourrine aussi, et le guitariste n'est pas manchot !). Une très bonne surprise !