Roll up, roll up and welcome to a good time fun-packed 15 minutes of sheer entertainment. Marvel at the jollyness of the riffs, chortle at the goofyness of some of the lyrics and swoon at how pretty they are. Ladies and gentlemen may I introduce to you the new and improved Uncle Brian! Back with a bang after moving on from Moon Ska (boo, hiss) my favourite Uncles in the entire world have set up residence at 20 Deck Records and are plotting UK domination. Having ditched some of the ska that was evident during their previous incarnation and losing the odd member to Whitmore, Uncle Brian have come bouncing back to life with a fun-filled sound that does everything humanly possible to leave you with a smile on your face. And it suceeds.
Uncle Brian will never re-invent the wheel and I think they will be amongst the first to tell you that. But what UB do is create rifftastic songs that bounce off the walls with anthem following anthem. Choruses trade blows with simple but effective guitar riffs and it’s all in the name of a good time. You’ve only got to witness the live roadshow to see that everyone leaves with a big grin on their face. Just witness the fantastic opening track ‘Postcards’ to confirm all of the above. With a jangling riff the size of Canada, it bounces all over the shop before vocalist Dan kicks in with a verse and chorus which will have everyone singing along and dancing. Of course it’s all pretty nonsenical stuff and it’s all been seen before, but Uncle Brian do it so damn well there’s no room for complaint. ‘Postcards’ has made my latest mix cd for my car and won’t budge off repeat – it’s the best song here and hopefully a future single.
‘Handstand’ continues in this vein with an upbeat driving guitar running straight into a full-on and in-yer-face vocal. Again it will have you unashamedly singing along without even realising, such is the craftyness of some of the hooks. And there’s even a lyrical nod towards Bon Jovi…spot it if you can! ‘Dead To Me‘ is a huge curveball. There’s never ever been anything like this in the UB repertoire before and it almost takes a double take to realise that this is still the same EP. Coming across like a blend of Strung Out and No Use For A Name, the band go all dark, moody and sensitive to come up with a corker of a song that still manages to maintain it’s sense of melody and sheer catchiness. Over the length of an album Uncle Brian could be something quite special if they throw a song or two like this into the mix.
‘This Always Happens’ has a fantastic opening riff before mellowing out and for all you old-skool Brian lovers there’s a hint of the ska that won over many fans. ‘Cindy Lou’ comes over all Starting Line-esque, with poppy choruses and palm-muting blending in nicely with some five-star drumming and driving basslines. And the EP ends on a high note too with the wicked ‘On The Jazz’, which although good recorded is simply amazing live. Witness John’s drumming to full effect on this track. Although the first verse horrifically reminds me of the dreaded [spunge], the song regains the Uncle Brian feel and identity, buolding up into a future fans favourite and live anthem-in-waiting.
I’d be lying if I said that ‘It Just Seems Right’ is a faultless EP, because it’s not. It’s certainly not going to be for all, especially if you are looking for something that’s a bit newer. The lyrics are daft in places, but then for me that’s half the appeal. Good time songs for a good time band, Uncle Brian have an EP here well worthy of your attention if you’re a fan of punk in it’s popular guise. With ‘Postcards’ and ‘On The Jazz’ they have also managed to blow away the myth that their cover is the best song they do. Oh, and there’s even a thanks to Punktastic in the sleevenotes. There’s nothing like bribery to gain a good review….
Paul