Unnatural Helpers - Cracked Love & Other Drugs
(Hardly Art - 2010)
(Hardly Art - 2010)
What do you get when you recruit a bunch of your pals such as Kinski’s Chris Martin, Brian Standeford and Leo Gephardt of The Catheters, Kimberly Morrison of The Dutchess and the Duke, and Kurt Bloch of The Fastbacks to lend their musical talents? In punk rock drummer, singer, and songwriter Dean Whitmore’s case, you get the most recent incarnation of the Unnatural Helpers and an excellent brand new full length record to boot.
While the Unnatural Helpers in theory have existed for a while -- and even though the band has seen its share of personnel changes -- the lack of a consistent unit doesn’t seem to weigh into the fact that their Hardly Art debut is great from start to finish. On “Cracked Love & Other Drugs”, the Helpers maintain the guitar driven pop-infused garage rock and roll sound they are known for, but manage to build upon that sound in a cohesive and gratifying manner. In my mind a clear ode to Whitmore’s clever and concise song writing skills.
The songs are short (none over two and a half minutes), yet first single "Sunshine/Pretty Girls" is an infectious fuzz bomb pop-punk ditty that lingers for days, and other standout tracks like the scathing “Brave Dumb Face” and certifiable foot stomper, “Head Collector” are definite winners in their abridged state. The Unnatural Helpers have constructed an upbeat, unpretentious, groovy, and most importantly loud as all get out collection of songs. In the brief 25 or so minutes that “Cracked Love & Other Drugs” whisks by, it has no time to stray from the point-- rock and roll is fun as hell but the lifestyle can be rough.
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