Zero Hits

Bazooka

Inner Ear Records, 2019

http://inner-ear.gr/catalogue/artist/bazooka

REVIEW BY: Tom Haugen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 03/25/2019

Bazooka is a long running punk outfit from Athens, Greece, and they explore plenty of other ideas alongside their tried and true gritty song craft on their third release. It makes for a really fun, infectious listen.

“Come” starts out the affair with bluesy garage rock riffs before crashing percussion invades the scrappy tune that's full of vocal harmonies and driving rhythm. “Prison” follows with a bouncy bass line and a hypnotic feel under a darker rock 'n' roll texture, and “Void” slows the pace down a bit and brings horns to a rousing ska-punk filled tune. “Alone” expands further on the diversity with a spacey, post-punk influenced track with plenty of frenzy and controlled chaos.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

The middle of the album offers the melodic punk rock of “Idiots Going On Parade,” where strong musicianship touches on both the '80s and early '90s of the genre, and the less than two minutes of “I'm Tired” yields a pulsating pace with a quirky collage of sounds. One of the best tracks here (though they are all fantastic) is the beat-heavy and guitar-fueled “In The City,” where psyche-rock influences shine, though the synth heavy “Something I Have Betrayed” is a close second.

Though 14 songs might seem long for an album of this ilk, they move quick. Late tracks like the ominous New Wave stylings of “The Colour Of A Crazy Man” and the eccentric garage rock of “Indifferent Glances” keep us fully immersed. The band exit as strong as they start with the percussive heavy “I Break Everything,” where the vocals get a bit throaty and the band get fully energized.

Fans of The Talking Heads, The Cramps, The Nation Of Ulysses, and The Stooges should certainly pay close attention here. Even though I can't understand a word being sung, it's quite apparent that it's a thoughtful, passionate, and genuine display of retro-punk sincerity that's impossible to forget after just one listen.

Rating: A-

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