The first thing we hear on this indie release is a little girl pleading, "Can I hear some Duckie, puh-leeeasse?" If I were a little girl at Waldorf, Maryland's "My Brother's Place," I might shout the same thing. But I'm not, so I won't. On second thought, once you've heard them, even if you're not a little girl, but you're a collector of fun, young, punk music, you might still be pleading to hear some Duckie.
Duckie is a trio of young men from Maryland who are busy making youth group friendly punk rock that the local high school kids are rockin' to. Along the way, they've made a fun CD. The band is Eric: Samurai drummer and BGVs, Justin: lead guitar and vocals, and Dan: bass and BGVs. Duckie's most obvious influences are MxPx and Squad 5-O, with fast beats, power chords and pushed vocals. Mostly prototype punk rock songs here, but with flashes of brilliance. "Complacency" and "He Luvs Me Anyway," are examples of great punk pop tune-smithing. The melodies are deft, and the musicianship rocks.
Unlike some of the band's influences, Duckie wears their faith on their collective sleeve. The lyrics are up front about a relationship with Christ and how much He has changed their lives. Another of those "flashes of brilliance" songs is "Deep Inside," a song of testimony and commitment. The boys also have a good grasp on the important doctrine of Grace, too. That we're saved by grace, through faith, not of our own workings, is a concept that I noticed running through several songs. But Duckie is certainly not serious all the time. Some of the comedy on the record is juvenile and rude sounds (burps, hurling...), some of the fun is in the form of silly songs.
I will say that, most of the time Justin has a good punk style and quality to his vocals. The few parts of the record that I could complain about probably would never distract any normal listener, and will fade away with practice and maturity. Overall, the CD is full of pretty impressive work. Just ask my junior high aged daughter. She plays this Duckie CD daily!
3.5 tocks
