Album Reviews
- by Nate Hennon
One of the major drawbacks to parenthood is not the lack of sleep or having to carry a small being around all of the time, it is having no time to listen to new music. In order to combat this sad statistic, I try to sneak new records in during naptime. Recently my record of choice was "Constant Simulation" by Texas power pop/punk, Bad Sports.
And it was time well spent. If you liked any of the previous Bad Sports releases, then you will find "Constant Simulation" delightful. Each song has a strong groove while also being melodic, energetic and damn fun. Even the slower songs like "Ode to Power" and "Everything We Wanted" keep things flowing without changing the album's overall vibe. Post-nap, even my 3-year-old said "this really good".
The highlight of the album is the bass. Yeah yeah, I often talk about bass lines and rhythms in my reviews. As a semi-retired bass player, I appreciate the fact how much a good bassline means to a song. Especially when the band is a trio. A good bass fleshes out the sound more and reduces the need for too much studio intervention. Most music fans will agree, if the record is good then you always fear the live show will not live up to your at home experience. I doubt this is the case for Bad Sports. They seem pretty impeachable.
Track listing:
- Giving In
- Don’t Deserve Love
- All Revved Up To Kill
- Comes Close
- Gains And Losses
- Ode To Power
- Constant Stimulation
- Easy Truth
- Everything We Wanted
- Cardboard Suits
- Distant Life
- Don’t Get You Hopes Up
- Living With Secrets
- Done To Death
- Anymore
- Pacify My Love
- Where Are You?
- Why Should I Care?
Lacking the talent to actually play in a band, Tom decided he would write about bands instead. Turns out his writing skills are mediocre at best as well.
