The Actual

Item: Songs on Radio Idaho
Author: Brian A. Smith

Songs on Radio Idaho

(2003)

Reviewed by Brian A. Smith

Discogs Apple Music TIDAL Amazon Music Spotify YouTube Music

Label Eyeball RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth2003

alternative rock indie rock power pop

The Actual is a California-based punk/pop trio that would be the end result if someone took Monty Colvin, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Cheap Trick, and Jane's Addiction, put them into a blender, mixed them up, and then made them record an album together--with an occasional dash of King's X-style guitars.

Max Bernstein seems to know his range vocally, swinging back and forth from Perry Farrell type chanting/singing to Material Issue/Cheap Trick power pop. Bernstein is also the lead guitarist and obviously studies Ty Tabor, among others. Jeremy Bonsall's bass and Jeff Keenan's drums complement his style perfectly.

"The Proof" is a standard-issue, radio-friendly punk song, but with more insightful lyrics. "Cold Inside" and "A Way Around Me" could be Jane's Addiction tracks, while "I Am An Item" contains a King's X guitar riff. "Keep You in a Bottle" is a Green Day/Blink 182-ish number, and "When the Dishes Start to Break" claims its own style, rocking hard while sounding like no one else I can think of.

"Cameron" is a standout, a '50s-style love song updated to a modern sound. It is the type of song that Cheap Trick should have included on its most recent release. "Across the Country" is a bitter breakup song, while "Radio Idaho" states the demise of the airwaves, but also relates the fleeting nature of life:

"January, February, March, and April / Just may come and go, like seasons, / Without reasons--just like songs on Radio Idaho."

The Actual is for those who like thoughts behind their sounds and for fans of Foo Fighters, King's X, and Galactic Cowboys. Another group for my list of "groups that only need to be heard to be successful."

4 tocks