review: Heavy Days Jeff the Brotherhood

Jeff the Brotherhood is currently rocking it at CMJ in Brooklyn, so here’s a CMJ shout and a review at the same time.



Jeff the Brotherhood
Heavy Days
Infinity Cat Recordings, 2009

Jeff The Brotherhood: "Heavy Damage"

Figure if punk rock can be divided into different restaurant styles, then Jeff the Brotherhood is classic Italian. I thought of this while making a pasta dish of course, but that quick, copycat punk rock on the radio is fast food, and I’m not sure what would be Mexican or a sub shop (a band from New Jersey=Jersey Mike’s?) but “classic Italian” because this is good, consistent, and recalls the “punk” of old, I’m sure The Ramones would listen to this on their way to CBGB’s or to see Riff Randle with no clue what to do with the screamo barreling out of the radio.

But Heavy Days seems a bit slower (maybe because it’s heavier?) than the previous Castle Storm, with some instrumental dashes, this is The Ramones meets The Beach Boys. “The Tropics” has this slow mellow trot, “Heavy Krishna” has like this “Wipeout” vibe that I really like, and “Bone Jam” has that “ooooh” opener. But “U Got The Look” and “Heavy Damage” carries the weight, "Mind Ride" is the new classic rock-punk song and all of them have typical young adulthood meandering lyrics, like Jeff the Brotherhood got lost in their own neighborhood. At only nine songs, well, that kind of sucks but I heard the ‘bros’ rock it hard at their live shows.

Can’t remember if Jake and Jamin Orrall (the brothers in BROTHERHOOD) were in Be Your Own Pet, but they’re kind of incestuous with the Turbo Fruits which possess a very similar straight-forward punk sound, so maybe they were. All of this seems to be chronicled at Nashville's Dead which is my new favorite website.

I’m just glad this stuff is dropping out of Nashville, finally some cool crap going down over there beyond Taylor Swift and Kings of Leon and whatever is at Tootsie’s.

I’m tempted to blend Jeff The Brotherhood in with No Age, The Black Lips and The Thermals, all bands that are punk but are outside that Warped Tour/Alternative Press scene, whatever that is called now, I don’t know, maybe the Hot Topic Bands of Fakeness That Sometimes Put Out One or Two Good Albums. That’s kind of a long name so we’ll shorten it to: HTBFTSPOOTGA, or maybe the SPOOTGA for short. Yeah, SPOOTGA. Alright kids, there’s a new ‘meme’ so run with it and find a copy of Heavy Days when you get out the door.

Vid of “Bone Jam” after the jump...