Saturday, March 12, 2022

TJ Cabot - SD Action EP


I've heard some troubling but well-founded rumors that the SD Action EP may be the final recordings to be released by Millville Boularderie's favorite sons TJ Cabot & Thee Artificial Rejects. My sources tell me that the oft-reported reasons for the apparent dissolution of this band (liquor shortages, label interference, corruption within the Millville Ladies Auxiliary Club, interprovincial legal disputes over the rights to tax revenues from record sales) are not actually to blame. More likely, it came down to "musical differences" as Millhouse Deville firmly insisted upon more use of reverb in future recordings. If SD Action truly is the band's swan song, it sure is a fine way to bow out. Two of these songs (the title track and "On the Front Page") had previously been reserved for a 7" that never materialized. "Streamlining" and "Chewin Out a Rhythm (On the Inside of my Mouth)" were written a while back but not recorded until recently due to all of the personal, financial, and legal hurdles required to get the band back together. As always, the band hits that sweet spot where Rip Off Records intersects with '70s Midwestern punk rock. As promised, the newly-recorded title track totally destroys the original demo version. "SD Action" isn't just a song. It's a way of life and potentially a film and toy franchise. "Streamlining", with its surprisingly serious message, is being heralded up and down the Atlantic Coast as the greatest Phone Jerks rip-off of the past two years. In my book, the "hit" is "Chewin Out a Rhythm (On the Inside of my Mouth)" -- a song about, you know, chewin' out the inside of your mouth (clearly the pandemic made people do strange things). I don't know whether to credit the spiritual influence of Father Angus McMullen or the masterful mastering of James O'Toole, but this is about as great of a record as anyone could hope to make on a laptop computer with no external microphone. If trashy budget punk is your thing, this is the best four dollars you could ever spend anytime the beer stores are closed.

-L.R.

https://tjcabot.bandcamp.com/album/sd-action-4-song-ep-2022

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