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 DARKBUSTER/TOMMY
& THE TERRORS- Split CD (Rodent Popsicle)
My friend Pete said he hears a lot of sadness coming from the Darkbuster
songs on this disc, and I agree with him. I think a lot of this sadness is
probably on the listener’s part, mostly because Darkbuster (admittedly
my favorite Boston band- at least among the bands I don’t personally
know very well - of the last couple years) recently called it quits. Their
5 songs on this CD all have varying degrees of that special something that
makes Darkbuster such an instantly likeable band- interesting, salt of the
earth subject matter, great sing-a-long vocals and solid, well constructed
thoroughly punk rock songs. Here’s how it breaks down: "The Hammer
Song" is a balls out rocker condemning tough guy assholes who throw
their weight around at shows. "Danny Boy" is about a wayward
young man trying to get things together. "Bomb" (my favorite of
the CD) looks at a working stiff desperate to have a better life.
"Not Guilty" is classic Darkbuster- a woeful yet compelling tale
about being falsely arrested for driving under the influence. Their last
song, "Good Times," is a drunken sing-a-long extolling the value
of, well, good times. It closes with the line "may our routes one day
cross again." To Lenny and the other Darkbuster guys, I hope to hell
they do.
Sharing
a disc with Darkbuster carries with it both the blessing of the added
exposure you’ll get and the curse of the inevitable comparisons dipshits
like me will make between the two bands. My band’s first single was a
song called "Gilded Cock." The flip side of the record featured
an awesome song by Penis Fly Trap called "Moon Rock." When
reviewers rightfully gave more praise to the ‘Trap’s song, it stung a
little bit, and I have to imagine this is happening to Tommy & The
Terrors. These guys have an energetic two-guitar attack and they nicely
mix in some anthemic punk rock choruses. I can easily picture them riling
up the all-ages crowds at the VFWs and K of Cs around town. Standing
alone, their 4 songs sound respectable. But when you compare these cuts to
the Darkbuster stuff, you can see that at this point they really don’t
have that special something that makes a group stand out above the rest.
At least not yet. –Ben Hunter
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