The initial rumblings of Said Radio caused a lot of excitement in the punk/hardcore community, and for good reason. Rumors of Said Radio - though different names have been tossed around - began to circulate the Internet early in the year, but by mid-Summer Said Radio was officially unveiled. Eric Ozenne, formerly of Redemption 87 and The Nerve Agents, is at the center of the lineup on vocals; joining him is Dante Sigona, also of The Nerve Agents, on guitar as well as bass, and Gary Gutfeld of Redemption 87 on the drum kit. The band knocked out an album and quickly lined up several high profile shows, including Sound and Fury and This is Hardcore Festivals. Unfortunately we had to wait a little while for the album to be available
but is Tidal Waves and Teeth worth the wait?
The short answer is yes. With the members of the band absent from the punk and hardcore world for a couple of years, I was a little skeptical on what I was going to receive. But Said Radio delivers. Tidal Waves and Teeth opens with "Rouge Transmission," a melancholic and building intro track that features Ozenne doing a spoken word piece. This cuts into "Anchor," a sub two-minute slab of fast-paced punk rock with early hardcore flavorings; imagine a sound between latter-day The Nerve Agents and Black Flag's faster numbers. The guitars have a nice tone that give the album a retro feel. It's almost as though this could have come from the time when the 924 Gilman collective was in its infancy stage.
"The Killer (Mara)" has a little bit of a variation. The opening is less abrasive and slightly eerie; also Ozenne has an odd tone to his voice - its like Nick Cave mixed with his typical vocals. "Cue the Crickets" scorches, demonstrating that despite their tenure, they haven't lost their rage. "Hollow Man" reminds me a lot of The Misfits' "American Psycho." The chorus is similar in structure and the overall sound of the song gives off a vibe characteristic of the horror-punk legends. "Roses" concludes the album, which wraps up in a short and sweet eighteen minutes, in a fashion that we're used to hearing from these musicians. Fast-paced hardcore-punk that calls to mind the early 80's and straight-forward screamed vocals.
Lyrically, Ozenne delves into personal well of thoughts. "Grey" is centered on making life-changing decisions. But in addition to tackling his own personal demons, he also turns his aim outside. On "Killing Her Softly" he attacks the media's portrayal of the ideal woman.
As good as Tidal Waves and Teeth is, at points during the album it does have its share of downfalls. First and foremost, the music is a little one-dimensional. I wish there was a tad more experimentation, like what was heard at the beginning of "The Killer (Mara)." Secondly, the layout is very basic - black layout and white print. That's all!
Tidal Waves and Teeth is a fairly impressive debut. There are a few areas for improvement, but I definitely would love to see where the band goes next. My main concern is that Said Radio will become some another short-lived project and quickly be forgotten. But, since Said Radio was around long enough to record, unlike previous projects, I have hopes for more in the future.
