Free Speech: themusicalrevolution.com

"i can't stop thinking 'bout the ways even when it used to be we would get really drunk and laugh our asses off and get kicked out of the movies i would take you to my room where we would do think that you'd never see on t.v. i'd play some johnny cash on my guitar or just sit and listen to the groovie ghoulies GO!" ("i Can't Stop Thinking About You", The Hometown Hecklers).

1, 2, 3, 4! Here we go ladies and gentlerSorts -- fresh outta tha basement armed with their (Non Partisan Records) brand new and dusty album, "The Heart and Downstroke Foundation"... THE HOMETOWN HECKLERS!!!

The above lyric, lifted directly from the Heckler's MySpace page says it all and then some. I really can't think of anything to say better. And if I was as punk as these cats, I would just leave it at that but since I'm about as H.R. as I am Mariah, I will continue to blather...

Well, to start out, I'd say that I was about 4 seconds into the first tune when I figured out what I was in for. Picture the Ramones... before. The sound is very basement and that is understating it! That being said, it's kind of refreshing. The songs aren't edited all to mush. The drums do sound in the background. The vocals are the focus. Sound "unfamiliar"? It should because it's the antithesis of the modern "corporate" sound.

I'm going to preface my constructive criticisms here with a little self observation. I'm obsessive about audio clarity. I can't get things clear enough in my own recordings. So, that being said, I find this album to be a little muddy for my liking. Lo-fi is cool to me. Muddy is... muddy. But. I feel that the "sound" of the recording is the Producer/engineer's job -- the songs are where the band proves it's meddle.

I think that it's in the songs where you'll discover The Hometown Hecklers. There are some real strong numbers in here. I thoroughly enjoy the hooky vibe of "Kinsmen beach", the tongue in cheek lyrics of "Idiot Twist" or the blatant rude hilarity of "I Just Want You to Go Home". There are a few tunes that feel unfinished but for the most part I have to commend this band for just writing the best material they can at that moment and throwing it out there.

So, I suggest that you grab a copy of "The Heart and Downstroke Foundation", switch your brain off and just let some good old fashioned Ramonesy inspired music wash over you. You'll feel better, I promise ;)