Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes

Well, this band is certainly not the same one that cranked out “Mommy’s Little Monster” and “1945”. Now Mike Ness & co. fancy themselves an old-timey rockabilly band that forgot to turn off the distortion (pun intended). Good for a spin now and then, I suppose, if you don’t mind these punkers sounding like they got stranded in an old honky-tonk in Tennessee and had to sing catchy pop hooks to hitch a ride back home. Beersoaked rock-country anthems incorporating as much Exiles-era Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, and dare I say Green Day? Hmm. Okay, daytime radio-friendly I guess. Try: 2, 5, 10. FCC: 10 “shit”

1. Somber, rockin instrumental
2. Swingin’ rockabilly number, harmonies remind me of Stones’ “Exile”
3. Dookie-style GD with a speakeasy vibe
4. Honky-rock stomp a la “Ball and Chain” in terms of mood
5. Upbeat, kind of bluesy, catchy harmonies, kind of goofy.
6. A drifting country-rock ballad, tastes like beer and tears.
7. More upbeat, still kind of down, plus acoustic guitars
8. Storytellin’ sad pop-rock
9. Brokenhearted ballad complete with piano
10. A bit of the old SD peeks through here, probably the most fun on the album, rockin stomper complete with backup harmonies.
11. Lackluster but still decently catchy pop-rock