CD REVIEW: SOCIAL 66 – Social 66
Label: Pavement Artist Partnership
Release Date: April 1, 2014
Rating: 8.5/10
Reviewed by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur
I couldn’t put my finger on what drew me to the new self titled disc from Social 66. One busy day during tax season, it struck me – this is the best unreleased material from Saliva I have ever heard. “Crash N Burn” has a killer riff and guitar squeals that open the track perfectly. The guitar work throughout the disc is killer, but kicking the disc off with all cylinders is a great move. “Only Me” opens with a different feel, but soon morphs into a great rock track that takes off running. The chugging guitar pairs well with the heavy bass line and aggressive drums on his track. Not letting up, “Sorry” is anything but. The guitars on this track really make the song – the vocals mimic the tone and fuzz of the guitars and it works on this track. “One In The Same” has a different opening and lead guitar feel to it, but works well within the framework of the disc. The vocals are solid fit the sound of the song. “Struggle” is another rocker that gives you balls and attitude from the opening note, regardless of the tempo of the track itself. The vocals and guitars lift this song when the tempo picks back up at the chorus.
“Until We Fade” comes in hard and fast, but quickly slows the tempo of the track down without losing the edgy feel and sound of the guitars and vocals. “The Party Is On” is a straight ahead rocker that wraps all of the cool sounds from the previous tracks and creates a song that has a very anthemic feel to it and should come across well live. “Consume Control” has cool funk groove to it that only gets harder and cooler at the chorus. The guitars and bass play well on this track to create a heavy low end. This is another track made for the stage and a live audience. “The Wave” has a keyboard intro that doesn’t seem to fit this collection, until the rest of the band kicks in. The guitars and rhythm section sound good, but the gel for this track is the vocals. “Radiate” keeps the groove and tempo alive as the disc winds down. This is another track that drives home the Saliva reference. The guitar riffs and solo in “Memory Born To Die” gives this disc one final kick in the ass as it comes to a close. The bass and drums help wrap this collection with a cool rock vibe. Social 66 may tip their hat to the contemporaries that influenced them, but they didn’t rest on their laurels and just release a disc – they went out, put their stamp on a sound, and made it seem shiny and new.
https://www.facebook.com/Social66band/info
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Category: CD Reviews