Music Review by EDF
It is nice to see bands with such energy and enthusiasm that they would drive for hours to play a gig and only have three people turn up for it. At least they made the most of it and had a good time. The Emergency, from Morgantown, West Virginia, plays a kind of guitar pop and describe The Who as one of the bands that they have borrowed from. While this may or may not be true, there is an English influence that creeps into their music and you could easily mistake them as an English band.
As this is the group’s second album, they start in confidence with the opening six-minute track DO THE UPTIGHT…UNITED STATES NOW. Amazingly, this does not feel like a six-minute track and the following track I CAN’T SEE THE SEA is a bit of an anticlimax. That is not to say that there is anything wrong with the song, but it should have been placed elsewhere on the track list. NOT ANGRY explores a relationship that was not meant to be. Perhaps, due to this, to make sure things go smoothly the next time, he builds a LIE DETECTOR. Here the band sound like they have been recorded live in the studio and is probably a fair reflection of how they will sound on stage, but on a CD they should sound a little more polished.
You notice the difference in production on HEY WHOOPY CAT and this is what makes the album all the better. With just a couple of dips in quality control, the rest of the album is a stormier and sounds a lot more hard in parts. At least The Emergency is not another one of those numerous “punk” outfits that can be found all over the American music scene. On MAMA TOLD ME, the group are brave enough to go into a decent instrumental break for the second half of the track. Most of the lyrics are slightly sad but at least the music is upbeat enough to ensure that listener will give the album repeated listens. Hopefully the group will ignore their own lyrics in SHARPER CHINS PREVAIL where “now’s the time to break up the band”. This album just does not give up once it gets in gear and neither should the group.
