Review: The Catfiends

The Catfiends
“Fission, Fusion, and Things Made of Concrete”
(Indianola Records)

Today is the Fourth of July.  The Fourth of July never gets old.  No matter how many fireworks you see or how many hot dogs you eat or how many times you hear the Star Spangled Banner blared over shitty speakers, the whole thing never gets old.  “Fission”, on the other hand, gets old in a hurry.  While the sentiments are great and the drums are fantastically good, there’s minimal variation between the sixteen tracks on the album, leaving you with a hollow, empty feeling (which would probably be appreciated after your fourth hot dog and eighth beer, but not something you’re generally looking for in an album).

The Catfiends are a bunch of screamers, pummeling their way through their tunes with little regard for subtlety or understatement, shouting out every vocal to show how angry/sincere they are.  Yawn.  You can yell all you like but I don’t have to listen.  If every firework looked the same in the sky they would get boring, too.  It’s the varying colors, styles and sounds that keep you coming back for more, year after year, not the same old thing.