Where would the punk junkies of the world be today without that little modern miracle most of us like to call “the Internet”? More to the point, what would a lot of these garage bands be doing? Still battling with the local cops after the neighbors call in noise complaints, guaranteed. Air time? Probably rocking out in some sleazy hole-in-the-wall, with nothing but a couple of rednecks and three or four die hard fans who just drove three and a half hours through a snow storm to catch the last fifteen minutes of their set… damn, I miss those days. But for those of us that don’t have the time, cash or gas to make it to a cross-country gig, we get to settle for the second best thing: the media page. It is because of this technological phenomenon that I was able to discover The Feds and do I ever feel fortunate.
It was only after missing them as an opening act for Bowling For Soup (Yours truly was there to catch Lucky Boys Confusion, opening as well… incredible set, the best I’ve ever had the privilege to hear/see) that I got the itch to look them up on the net. Since I hadn’t heard them on the stage, I figured I needed to get at least a little listen. And what an incredible listen it was… First of all, they have a decent amount of well written and meticulously performed songs up on their site (www.thefedsrock.com). Six at the current moment, supported by fairly good streaming audio. The sixth one doesn’t really count as a song though. More of a bonus track. Check out the website, you’ll understand what I mean. Unfortunately, they don’t have any of their old stuff up, otherwise I’d recommend downloading “Drink Till Noon”.
As the title indicates, these boys know how to rock till they drop. All of their music possesses an overpowering voracity, eating up the silence and regurgitating one heaving track of punk energy after another. The first track on their media page is “My Texas”, a rather inspired look into the roots of the band. Having left their original home of Kansas City, MO, picking up everything they owned and hauling ass down to Texas to pursue their dream, this song manages to capture that unsure vitality, the excitement of finding somewhere you don’t quite belong but still feel like sticking around.
The next song in the lineup is “Winner”, which is also available on a compilation by the name of Buzz-Oven. Link’s on the site. Anyway, great song, kick ass imagery in the lyrics and the heavy opening beat will get your blood pumping. The instruments on this are so immediate, it feels like the song is coming from inside your head. Creepy, eh? On to the next track, which is slower and slightly more melodic, going by the title of “Paint the White Stripes Black”. The guitars completely own this one with a nice solo stint in the middle of the track to build up the energy.
The next rack on the list is chock full of snarling bass lines and angry voices, interspersed with odd moments of almost harmonic insight. “Butcher’s Block” is one of those songs that forces the good old primal urges to the surface. In other words, it makes you want to throw stuff. The last song, “No Matter What”, is simply phenomenal. Psychedelic undertones and the powerful voice of their lead singer work to blend the entire span of the track into something that just ever so slightly resembles some the work that’s come from Incubus.
Internet addicts will never want to leave their computers again. I know I go into fits of withdrawal if I’m ever parted from my PC and the thought of dial up just simply makes me nauseous. Songs like these are the reason.
Nicole