Review
Rival Schools
Pedals

Have you ever been so excited to hear that a record is coming out after a long wait only to have it delayed longer to the point of it actually kind of sneaking out below your musical radar so to speak? Even in this modern internet age, this scenario still occurs; and honestly it drives me nuts trying to pay attention to every yahoo that picks up a guitar or presses record on a button somewhere. But, that digression aside, Rival Schools have finally released their second album; in case you have forgotten, Rival Schools is an “indie” rock super group featuring members of (amongst a ton of others) Quicksand, Gorilla Biscuits, Youth Of Today, Iceburn, et cetera (none of which this band sounds like) that lay down some of the most underrated “indie” (though they were on a major label) rock on the planet. After a ten or so year layoff in between their first album, United By Fate, an unreleased second album (where some of these songs can be heard in other forms), and a subsequent break up and reformation, Walter Schreifels, Ian Love, Cache Tolman, and Sammy Siegler finally have released their new album, Pedals.

While first listening to this Rival Schools record, I kept saying to myself that there are some OK songs on it that really left me feeling pretty baffled by the band and this album that they have released, until that is, I heard the opening riffs to “Big Waves” kick my ass back into actually paying attention to what was going on with Pedals; I immediately stopped and restarted the record player because I had at that point been grabbed. If modern day radio was any good (I mean not all oldies stations and yes at this point “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is 20 years old and can be considered oldies to me), there are probably six or seven tracks on this sucker; seriously, “Wring It Out” (with a monster guitar and vocal hook in the chorus) , “69 Guns” (another big hook in the chorus), “Eyes Wide Open” (one of the more “rocking” songs in this set and brings to mind Quicksand like no other track here), “Racing With Red Lights” (a slower and catchy number), “A Parts For B Actors” (love the vocals in this song like that giant hook in the pre-chorus), “Big Waves” (monster riff), and “Small Doses” (just a solid song) easily all could be “hits” on the radio. A record with this many good pop oriented songs just does not happen that often anymore, yet, maybe a 10 year gap to work on the album should probably produce this many great tracks.

Ultimately, Pedals is an upbeat and fun album that is chock full of fun and bouncy tunes that will have you bobbing your head and singing along like I can frequently be seen doing in the greater Tri State area as I am driving my car (speaking of which this is an A+ driving record). Looking for such a record? Get this and dive into one of the more fun records you will probably hear this year; you will not be disappointed (though that cover art is kind of questionable, but do not judge it based on that, please).