Sometimes I forget what it’s like to be young and part of a scene, which in turn gets in the way of me offering a fair, objective review of a band’s latest offering. I remember where I was when I heard my first Metallica tune; I recall the precise moment when I finally decided Slayer was actually really fucking good; and oh, the cartwheels my mind did when my friend played Faith No More’s “We Care a Lot” for the first time. Point being that with age comes a more jaded set of eyes and ears.
So with a renewed sense of objectivity, I put in Slick Shoes’ “Far From Nowhere” one more time, trying desperately to forget every stupid MTV video and also-ran pop-punk band that has come through my stereo over the last three years. Oddly enough, I immediately took to the disc in the same way I did when hearing Pennywise for the first time.
Okay, so sue me for initially writing the guys off. After all, I recently spent an entire day at the Warped Tour (where the band was playing), and things begin to sound the same before long. But truth be told, Slick Shoes stays true to the elements that initially attracted me to groups like Bad Religion, Good Riddance and Pennywise – fast, heavy guitars and compelling melodies, not mid-tempo ramblings about high school. Sure, the band gets a little too happy on a track or two, but for the most part they pull off an album that walks just far enough outside the boundaries to be taken seriously.
Now, my opinion might be different if they were getting heavy rotation on MTV and Clear Channel’s 1,000 radio stations. In fact, if they had twin members with long leashes and a podium from which to spout absolute horseshit (see also: Good Charlotte), I would have tossed out the album ages ago. But the group’s relative anonymity and Far From Nowhere’s appeal get them an unwavering two middle fingers up. Plus, the band’s name is derived from a reference to the film “Goonies.” And as we all know, references to Goonies are essential.
SideOneDummy Records
