Shook Ones Facetious Folly Feat

Shook Ones are a Kid Dynamite/Lifetime hybrid (read: clone) that have been picking up a lot of steam lately and with the release of their Revelation Records debut, Facetious Folly Feat, that steam will likely build into a huge following. I just have no idea why I should care for two seconds about a band that openly admits sounding so similar to two bands that I love and still listen to. Hell, Lifetime's even a band again, so I have to ask "Why waste your time ripping them off" The case could be made (and will be here) that the songs themselves are good enough to justify at least giving Shook Ones a chance to win you over, but using another band's sound as the foundation for your own just isn't the best way to start off. Fortunately for Shook Ones, their shameless emulation of Dan Yemin's bands is often overshadowed by their own songwriting talent. They're no Kid Dynamite and their certainly no Lifetime, but they are a talented punk/hardcore act that write incredibly catchy songs I haven't heard before. In fact, if it weren't for the blatant hero worship going on here, this probably would've been one of my favorite records of 2006. It's seriously that catchy, fun and well done. If this had come to my mailbox labeled "new Lifetime" I would've probably believed it if not for the slightly higher-pitched vocals. They even use a couple of samples off old records that sound exactly like ones Lifetime used. I'm not exaggerating here and I don't know how many more ways I can say that Shook Ones sound EXACTLY like Lifetime and Kid Dynamite. OK. On to the record itself. "Carms Race" is among the disc's faster tracks, a poppy hardcore number that starts with one of the aforementioned old-timey samples. It's a minute-long track that sets the tone for the record well. "Pheasant" follows in the same vein, combining upbeat melodic punk rock with a more hardcore vocal style and waiting until nearly the end to pull out the catchiest parts. I was going to keep going with each song, but they've all got the same basic style and there's no discernible low point to be found, so it just doesn't seem necessary. The recording, handled by Chris Common and Matt Bayles, is a no-frills affair that manages to replicate (wonder of wonders) the same 90's sound of the Lifetime records. Bottom Line: Despite all the bashing I've done, I really do like this record a lot. I wanted to hate Shook Ones until I realized that these guys just love Lifetime even more than I do and wanted to show it by becoming a band. Luckily for them, they have one important thing in common with their heroes: they write great songs. Facetious Folly Feat has some of the best songwriting I've heard in a long time. If you've never heard Lifetime or Kid Dynamite, by all means, run out and buy their records first. If you like what you hear, give these guys a shot too. You won't be sorry.