The Brief's album 'Hit after hit'
At a time of a musical epidemic when Robbie Williams invades every radio station and takes the airwaves hostage for 10 weeks, you'll be glad bands like The Briefs exist. Their three chord songs and middle fingers aimed at critics around the world show they may not be a fashionable band but they just really just don't care. They are a group of young adults here to have fun and rock havoc into any venue they strike.
'Hit After Hit' begins with 'Poor and Weird' something that doesn't really suit being an opener for a band who is as vibrant as The Briefs but it is a worthy sing along. By the way in which the Briefs structure their songs, it's not hard to become hooked on their simplicity. The band equally share the vocal duties between them. From guitarist Steve E. Nix to drummer Chris Brief, they all sing in the album and do it flawlessly.
The quartet admits to being a band that doesn't progress in sound, this clearly shows this from the start to the finish of the album. There's nothing spectacularly significant in any part of 'Hit after Hit' as it seems the band plough through their songs at a continual rate and only slow down for the odd moderate song.
A song that I personally like is the rapid-paced 'Sylvia', which perfectly defines the dead 1970's punk movement; speedy, scatty and cohesive. 'New Case' is another song that steals your attention. Although it's not the most exhilarating of songs, it has a great vocal melody which would get the listener singing along, although I'm sure you wouldn't like to be singing the chorus line 'I've got a new case of crabs' around the supermarket.
It's apparent why Lars Fredriksen of punk pioneers, Rancid, is such a big fan. The Briefs are a band of a dying breed and although they aren't the greatest crusty punkers the world has ever seen, us social rejects need them to keep some happiness within our lives without having to listen to the Vandals or even worse, the radio.