BRAIN, BOC: My *Box Of Hammers* Review

[John A Swartz]

O.K., I've got *Box Of Hammers* spinning on my CD player for the second
time.  I had jotted down some notes after the first time I spun it, but
alas, I misplaced them, so I'll have to see if the second spin evokes
some of the same thoughts.

Before reviewing the individual tracks, a few words about the
production.  Another cool cover by Steve Brodner.  The back of the CD
looks ALOT like the back of *Trepanation* (same colors, fonts, and
layout scheme), although there is a different photo (this one a group
shot of the band - the liner notes also have a few shots of the band in
the studio - I assume the guy behind the mixing board is Paul Special?).
I was a bit disappointed to find no lyrics printed in the liner notes,
but there is a note that they can be found at tBS web site (note:  the
liner notes use the acronym "tBS" so I guess BOC-L has struck again!!) -
I haven't checked it in the past few week but I assume Tania will be
putting lyrics there (if they aren't already).

1. Saint Vitus Dance - one of my favorite tracks on the album, I got the
privilege of hearing it live in Boston this past June.  A heavy but
bouncy rocker, with a nice thick guitar sound (hey Al, what are those
little backward vocal effects at the very beginning of the song?).  This
song definitely sets the tone of the album (much in the way "Gimme
Nothin'" did on *Trepanation*) - heavy and light, thick but intricate,
and charting new musical ground.  Deb's vocals sound great on this one -
very dynamic.

2. Locked Up - Almost a country/folk intro to this tune.  Don't know if
I'd call this a slow rocker or a fast ballad.  Deb whispers the vocals
to the verses (which sounds really cool right now as I listen to the CD
through headphones).  Some interesting chord progressions during the
break, and some nice layered vocals throughout.  Nice.

3.  Gun - starts off with a nice driving bass line to set the mood.
This song just pumps along with some heavy rockin' vocals from Deb.
Nice heavy guitars and a driving beat to this -- listening to it now,
it's hard for me to believe that BOC didn't put this on an album back in
the 70s when Joe Bouchard demoed it (on more than one occasion I
believe).  This would have been a killer BOC tune, and I'll be it would
suit tBS live set very well.

4.  I'm On Fire - A somewhat smoother more rounded take on this Dwight
Twilley tune.  Deb's vocals are very soulful here, and the overall
instrument-ation is light and bouncy.

5. 'Lil Egypt - A cool number.  Starts with some fairly heavy guitars,
then slips into an odd time signature (you guys been listening to alot
of Rush lately or something?) with a climbing bassline and some guitar
work that just makes me think of, well Egypt.  Very hypnotic.

6.  Earthquake Boogie - A slow groove that moves.  Sort of bluesy, sort
of funky, some cool vocals (I assume that's Jack Secret going
"Earthquake Boogie..." during the verses?), and a little "earthquake" on
the drums at the end of the song.  Cool.

7.  Donkey Show - A slow rocker with some cool instrumentation and
vocals by...Pete Bohovesky!  Hey, this guy can sing!  He has a nice
smooth rounded sort of vocal tone - very sweet.  The only thing I had
hear him sing previous was his now-imfamous "Christmas Song" in Boston,
where he sounded more like "Weird Al" Yankovic (which was appropriate
for the song he was doing).  But this - hey, this guy can do more than
shred a fruit guitar.  Anyway, back to the song (which Pete also wrote).
There are some lyrics in both English and Spanish (with some "hee haw"s
from Al).  Some cool guitar sounds during the bridge.  A very nice
sounding song, but the lyrics?  Very wacky ("twice the width and twice
the girth - at least four times the gravy"? - oh my) - I'm not sure I
wanna know what inspired Pete to write this, but still I like this song
alot.

8. Date With A Guitar - The other song I got to hear in Boston in June.
The best way I can think to describe this song is "grunge-blues".  Some
crunchy guitars, soulful vocals, and an almost danceable slow rhythm.
"Is everybody happy?"

9. End In Tears - An almost country-esque ballad.  Some nice sax work
and vocals that give it a slight jazzy edge during the chorus.

10.  Tender Was The Night - Some heavily-flanged guitars, a funky bass
line, and Al's first lead vocal appearance on the album.  Some nice
harmonies provided by I believe Pete Bohovesky.  This song bounces right
along nicely.

11.  Operation Luv - A hard-driving, almost punky number (except that
the bassline moves around to much to call the tune punk).  Like
"Ramblin' Rose" on *Trepanation*, this sounds like the band just cutting
loose and having alot of fun.  Hold on and enjoy the ride.

12.  Laura's Plastic Swords - A slow tune during the verses, with Al (I
think - the vocals sound like Al, but much smoother in tone than usual)
doing the verses, and Deb doing the chorus (which is a bit more uptempo
-- and somehow reminds me of a portion of the Soft White Underbelly tune
"Rational Passionale").  Another almost hypnotic tune.

13.  Casa Del Sol -  little thunderstorm sound effect at the beginning
(made me instantly think of the first Black Sabbath album), then some
haunting guitars (that made me think a bit of the intro to BOC's
"Nosferatu") leading into this power folk-rock ballad by Deb.

14.  Overture - Hmm... the piano intro sounds a bit familiar on this
instrumental number.  Is it?  Oh my God, it is!  As I listened to this,
I wanted to cry, and I wanted to laugh at the same time (and almost
needed that change of underwear that Al had warned us about).  I don't
want to give too much away right now, although I may later.  But for
now, all I'll say is Thank You Al for putting this bit on the album.
Some will think it's just a cool instrumental -- others will know
otherwise...  Just one question - there's only one vocal line in the
whole song, and I'm not sure I can make it out -- are you saying
"Cappucino"?  "Al Pacino"?  "Cup o' Cheetos?"  ;-)


Overall, I'm very impressed with this album - it's definitely the
slickest production by tBS so far, and further expands the musical
territories charted by *Eponymous* and *Trepanation*.  It was hard
enough to try and classify the band's music before because of the wide
range of styles covered -- it's even harder now.  Most of the tunes are
more intricate than on the previous 2 albums - more guitar picking (as
opposed to chords), complex rhythms, and layering of vocals and
instrumentation.  The bass work on this album in particular stands out -
the bass is a bit more up front in the mix (as a bassplayer, I gotta
love that), and moves much more (lots of walking bass lines) - while I
was able to learn much of the bass parts on *Eponymous* and
*Trepanation*, I'm not sure I'm going to be as successful with *Box Of
Hammers*.

As far as my personal tastes go, I think I like the heavy crunch of
*Trepanation* better overall than *Box Of Hammers*.  Not because it is
somehow "better", but because that happens to be more of the type of
stuff I like to listen to.  It's a bit more "in your face", demanding
your attention.  *Box Of Hammers* is more sophisticated - something that
will no doubt grow on me over time.  The best comparison that I can
think of between *Trepanation* and *Box Of Hammers* overall is that
while *Trepanation* makes me want to bang my head, *Box Of Hammers*
makes me want to move my feet.  Having said that, it's time to give this
CD another spin - and savor another listen.  Hmm . . . maybe if you
think of *Trepanation* as a glass of good beer, then *Box Of Hammers* is
more like a glass of fine wine.  Either way, I'm getting an awfully good
buzz right now...

ORDER YOURS TODAY!!


John