After recording Born Lost And Hopeless, their debut release on Rescue Records, the members of Blah have returned with a self-titled follow-up for Bulletproof Music. The group (whose name is an acronym of the debut album title) is, for the most part, a punk rock outfit. True to the punk ethos, the songs are short (the average length is just under two minutes, and several tracks time in at less than a minute and a half) and fast. "Not My Own," with its dizzying guitar work and growling vocals, is reminiscent of the hardcore punk of Black Flag, while the three-chord structure and catchy melody of "Make Up Your Mind" fall more along the lines of punk-pop artists like MxPx and Green Day. But, while punk rock takes center stage, the band does occasionally pepper its music with other musical styles as well. "You're Gonna Lose" is a catchy combination of rockabilly and post-grunge, while "Stone Me" is equal parts punk and ska. And James Jenkins' sparse, hook-laden guitar is fed through heavy echo and reverberation to give "Step Right Up" and the instrumental "Eye2" a sound similar to a fusion of surf music and classic B-52s new wave rock.
But while the eclectic selection of musical styles keeps the first half of the project rolling along nicely, the band seems to run out of new ideas about midway through the album. The song "145," while not necessarily bad, is still musically generic enough to render it unmemorable, while "Surf Party" has a nearly stereotypical quality that makes it sound more like a parody of surf rock than a legitimate addition to the newly resurgent genre. And "Meat Market," which seeks to build its hook on a simple, much-repeated note pattern, ends up coming across as merely repetitious rather than catchy. In addition, the musical portion of the album is accompanied by mostly undistinguished lyrical work. Lines like "You wear a mask the size of Texas/You're like the y's that follow x's" from "So Scared" are more silly than clever. And the drinking-and-drugs-to-God testimony of "The Coop" is a more-or-less threadbare subject by this point. To its credit, the band does make its statements boldly enough, and its themes are unmistakably Christian. But, the group's austere lyrical delivery has neither the lyrical depth of, say, Social Distortion nor the witty humor of groups like The Huntingtons or The Ramones.
Still, despite its various shortcomings, the second album from Blah stands as a fairly notable addition to the growing catalog of Christian punk rock music. Indeed, one listen to the aggressive solo work on "Make Up Your Mind" or the infectious walking guitar tag line of "Not My Own" should prove beyond doubt that the band possesses plentiful hardcore and punk-pop savvy. And while the overly heterogeneous musical palette tends to obscure the album's musical statement, the majority of the album is nonetheless carried along nicely by virtue of the band's impressive musicianship and youthful enthusiasm.
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #75Reviewed by Brian Vincent McGovernThis punk rock band is back, but with more than punk rock in its arsenal. The style is what has come to be known as punkabilly, that is, a mixture of rockabilly and punk rock. James Jenkins' quick bass working concurrently with the more than able drumming of Jameson Becker seems to tie the rhythm knot here. Alex Rosas' singing is well-suited for both styles, just as Jeremy Carlson's guitar…Garlic Press #4Reviewed by scottThis is a punk/hardcore band from California. The style reminds me of Black Flag, a very early '80s hardcore type thing. It's got a good rhythm to it that carries the project along, a little like the punk style of Pat Nobody and crew. Something a little different in the world of new school and really loud hardcore. There are a lot of short songs on this CD, but enough to make this a long album.…
