Juggling power-pop instincts with roots-rock influences, the Successful Failures produce a sound that exercises both the body and the brain cells.
Clocking in as the New Jersey’s band sixth studio album, Ichor of Nettle (scheduled to be released October 20, 2017 on the FDR label) sticks fast to the stance that has brought the Successful Failures riptides of recognition and respect from the public and critics alike. Not only does the disc provide plenty of sonic appeal, but the lyrical content, which takes in political issues and literary references, adds wit and color to the package.
A ragged and jagged pitch reminiscent of the Replacements, paired with washes of hard-hitting hooks a la Cheap Trick and Weezer inhabit the stage on numbers such as “Into the Battle (Parts ll and Ill)” and the title track, where “The Ballad of Julio Cuellar” starts off on a lonesome country drawl before delving into the band’s time-honored tradition of edgy pop rock.
Scuttling tempos, surrounded by chunky guitar riffs, crazed Keith Moon-styled drumming and supersized choruses mesh comfortably with Americana trimmings, making Ichor of Nettle an unsteady beauty.
It is good to hear the Successful Failures are still creating top-grade music after all these years, and that they continue to insert newfangled twists into their roots-rocking repertoire.
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Great Review!