Rant

This is a somewhat confusing group. The CD says the band is McGnarley's Rant, but they've renamed themselves the Rant. The press release says they sound like "Tom Waits meets the Dead Kennedys in Eastern Europe." When I hit play on Fisherman's Pride, I don't hear any of that. Through the compressed production, I hear a wordy Irish sort of gypsy sounding New Model Army, if anything at all. Everything is very restrained and the music just doesn't kick in to high gear, but it wants to. The singing is barely audible, and for a band that seems to take pride in its lyrics, this isn't good. I'll bet these five road-ravaged, highly skilled musicians explode on stage, as they seem to have played live constantly, but it doesn't translate on disc. As well, the lyrics try to do a whole lot, but don't seem to get there. They promise to be "laced with political punk rock," but it's lost in all the words. Having said that, there are a couple of highlights, with "The Circus" and "Drowned Ambitions," but the songs are somewhat unfocused overall. According to the website, the Rant will have a new record out soon on a new label. Hopefully, they'll be able to let go and let them have it, because Fisherman's Pride unfortunately does neither.