Labels: salinas
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Ah, so this is where the singer from the Gibbons wound up. Unfortunately, I think he’s wasted his time on this one, at least musically. The State Lottery are utterly run of the mill melodic punk, with hefty Americana leanings (cue a harmonica on one particularly arduous track), and great vocals. I really am not feeling the mid-paced, American rock music type influences that run throughout this LP, it lacks the drive and energy that I seek, especially when hearing the singing, I expect things to be belting out, falling apart and everything else that was so great about the Gibbons. Maybe that’s my fault, maybe I’m too set in my ways, but I know what I like and the State Lottery only scrapes into “what I like” every now and again. It’s far from atrocious, but it’s just kind of, well, boring. It’s very mature, serious and grown up, and being a rather weak-arsed bastard, I am still trying to work out how to be that, eek. As one of the song says “It’s about being an adult and building community”. I think if this band had been folk punk I would have found them rather trite but from these guys at least the words they sing sound like something you could believe in.
Well, musically I am not even close to being sold, but the lyrics are definitely worth casting your eye over and pondering. Sorry Salinas Records, I hope you won’t hate me now!