Rye Coalition

On Top (Tiger Style)
by Craig Regala

The boy’s of Rye Coalition have jerked their post-punk youth back down through classic kick-ass bombast and are better for it. Ever hear Shellac’s cover of AC/DC’s “Jailbreak” where they (Shellac) run Gang of Four’s “Anthrax” right into the AC/DC classic? It’s damn near the germination point of the hoo-ha going on here. My wife says On Top‘s more like Fugazi taking a whack at Zep’s “Whole Lotta Love.” Well I’ll tell you what, buddy, it rocks but good. Topics covered are the eternal personal ones abstracted enough to register as giving a shit about something without the emo/Manilow, “Feeeelings, nothing more than Feeeeelings!” thing that ruins At The Drive-In for me.

Rye even do a convincing bluesoid stomp ballad, “Frankly Freshness.” Soul Asylum used to do countryoid sea chantey-rooted tunes like this a decade ago. It’s a great part of the rock language and I’m glad Rye have picked it up along with judicious use of cowbell (which is as much as you want to use it). Imagine saying, “Gee, that’s too much cowbell?” Fuck, you might as well get “Property of Barenaked Ladies” tattooed on your ass. A couple times the “you-got-chocolate-in-my-peanut-butter!” coupling of the shouty post-punk roots and the kickass classique shows its stitching. Luckily, not enough to ruin the proceedings. Hope they tour it like they talk it. Put’m out there with Rollins Band.
(149 Wooster St. 4th Fl. New York, NY 10012)