Dead Scene Radio are odd. Musically I really enjoyed this EP. I promise I’m not being lazy when I list the bands influences, because they really do sum up the bands sound: Elvis Costello, Ted Leo, Husker Du, The Jam, Replacements, Weezer and Ida Maria. There’s a really enjoyable sense of raucous folky musicianship. The EP pretty much sounds like it was recorded entirely live, and it compliments the bands style.
The one thing that puts me off is the vocalist, Jake Simmons. I’m not convinced he can sing. On opener Fuck The Times, it doesn’t matter, it’s sung with passion and breaks through. But the thing is, if you can’t sing you shouldn’t try to overcomplicate the vocal acrobatics. Some of the best bands have had mediocre singers who know their limits.
Fuck The Times is a solid opener in any case, but the remaining four tracks are little more than filler all being fairly similar and none being particularly memorable. The musicianship is great, but reigning in the vocals and a few killer tunes would be massive improvements.
Kieran