Scuzzy, dirty rock from hoary Canadians
It's not everyday you come across a band whose slogan is 'we're older, louder, and dumber than YOUR band', and the Pariahs certainly like a party. And a party is a good way to describe their self titled effort, with its rock n roll heart beating steadily away. Of course, if you chuck in the odd sleazy, drunken night out and morning after the night out, you've pretty much got it.
The first track, 'Baby's a Rocker', is filthy and does what it says on the tin: fast and furious rock that would have parents up and down the country tutting in disapproval. It's fun, dumb and lives up to the band's slogan. This is not music that's meant to be background music. The next song definitely has a strange title in 'Teenage Death Song' but that doesn't stop it being one of the better tunes on the album. It takes the best bits of Hole, adds male scuzzy vocals and sounds really good even with the chugging guitar solo in the middle.
But it doesn't take that long for the dumb ethic to return, with the band declaring 'this is a sad song' on 'Sad Song'. If the reason for his sadness is that he walked miles and miles with no cigarette, I dread think what else makes him sad. However, the music is great and the press release's description of scuzz rock turns out to be right. It reins in the chaos a touch, letting it build up before letting loose on the chorus.
The party rages on all the while on 'Down Again'. The vocals may seem to be half mumbled and high pitched, and like 'Baby's a Rocker', it's fast and furious uptempo rock. It worryingly starts to resemble Rod Stewart in parts, which is not a compliment, but Mikey Pariah's vocals have that same gravelly quality. 'Essential' is the sleazy night out after the party winds down. Restrained, low vocals compliment a filthy tune that slinks along just nicely.
The album ends on a high with 'Yellow Alert' and 'Wild Heat' finishing off what the rest of the album promised. That is, it rocks like a bitch furiously. There is excellent riffing, not least on 'Wild Heat' that whirls around menacing - it's all chaos and confusion.
It's not one of the best albums of the year, but The Pariahs is good fun, and it would make a fine addition to anybody's party CD collection. And anyway, if you believe the website, 'they're not going away'.