Thursday, November 05, 2015

New Jukebox Zeros album!

Philadelphia's finest are back! Jukebox Zeros have been favorites of mine for over a decade, and I'd absolutely put them up there with the very best punk rock n' roll bands on the planet. Count To Ten is the band's first new album in 10 years - and its first new music in five years! After all that time, you'd expect something pretty special. And that's exactly what Peter and the gang deliver on this ten-song smasher!

When so much time passes between releases, there's not much of a need for a band to try anything too different. You just want to hear the band do what it does best. And in the case of Jukebox Zeros, that means rocking l.a.m.f! Much to my delight, Count To Ten is nothing more and nothing less than classic Jukebox Zeros. Think boozy, street-tough rock n' roll inspired by the likes of Johnny Thunders, The Stooges, The Dictators, and early Replacements - topped off with a real deal "Don't fuck with me!" Philly attitude. Ya gotta love it! I've been waiting a while to hear a new record like this, and I must say that Count To Ten is exactly what I was craving! While I highly recommend everything that Jukebox Zeros have ever released, this particular collection of songs is by far their best. Every time you think you're hearing the "hit", the next track comes along and proceeds to blow your head off. You'll go hoarse from screaming along to all those choruses, and your neck might not be able to withstand all of that frantic head-bobbing! But who ever said that rock n' roll was supposed to be safe?! On this release, the band had the privilege to work with the great Dean Rispler - the absolute gold standard of producers for trashed-out rock n' roll. The result, predictably, is an absolute fireball of an album. Jukebox Zeros have never sounded hotter on record. It's like the band is right in front of you and poised to tear the roof off of some seedy dive!

If you love The Humpers, Dead Boys, Heartbreakers, etc. but are not yet familiar with Jukebox Zeros, you owe it to yourself to check out Count To Ten. Peter Santa Maria has the perfect voice (and attitude) to front this kind of band, while lead guitarist Brian Zee is like Johnny Thunders & Cheetah Chrome rolled into one. And in Justin Lee and Wayne Wright, Jukebox Zeros boast one of the strongest rhythm sections out there. Highlighted by the appropriately titled "Snot Rocket", the Stones/NY Dolls style sing-along "Drama Queen", the surf-inflected screamer "Green Wave", and the scorching "Hey Now! Oh My!", this album could pass for a long-lost classic of NYC/Cleveland/Detroit punk rock. It's out now on Rankoutsider Records. Head on over to Bandcamp to order the CD - which includes a secret tenth track you can't stream for free!



-L.R.

http://jukeboxzeros.bandcamp.com/album/count-to-ten 
https://www.facebook.com/JukeboxZeros 
https://www.facebook.com/rankoutsiderrecords 

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