Under The Radar: The Bosch and Capital

The Bosch: Hurry Up

No surprise that just about any Bosch review name-drops several touchstones as the band seems to have lifted something from every decade of rock. So why break new ground? Matt Harrison’s reedy voice dances atop a myriad of garage, ska, pogo-pop and no-wave like David Byrne at a smorgasbord. Pigeonhole Bosch? Not when at any time you can scrape the DNA of Greg Cartwright and Link Wray guitar tones, Iggy’s sneer, Adam Ant’s marching beat, and the lo-fi punch (complete with dissonant horn support) of garage legends The Penetrators.

“Counting” is a propulsive instrumental track that would be the perfect soundtrack for a psyco Western, and “Back To Reality” flat out rocks, punctuated with the swing and swagger of the Porn Horns. (God, I love that name). The duel between the honking sax and jogging bass line in “1776”, the album’s best track, is worth the price of admission. Clever, sometimes hilarious lyrics belie the standard rock’n’roll themes, along with the clever musical paths to get there. Great stuff.

=====

Capital: Homefront

Scathing hardcore punk with a strong melodic bent, a dynamic lead singer (Silent Majority / Bllor Red’s Tommy Corrigan) and an airtight sonic attack. Ironically recorded in a kindergarden classroom, Capital’s angry rants are the antithesis of innocence and hope as they rail against the usual array of injustices that become only more relevant in an election year. The band has no patience for phonies, be they from Hollywood (“Rubberface”) or the Warped Tour (“Mosh Parts”); much like “Dead Children”, “Crossroads” and the title track swipe at how out of touch the established society norms are with life at ground-level.

Corrigan’s (assumedly) autobiographical “On A Mission” nails the classic moment of awakening and purpose (“it didn’t matter/when it hit the turntable it was over/never thought it would happen that i’d end up like this / half my life trying to stay outta step…”) as well as the drive to stay true. Just goes to show that even Long Island can mine the SST/Black Flag vein with the right attitude.