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“I
don’t wanna be the one that hurts you anymore,” snarls
Paisty Jenny singer and guitarist Gregg Lee, on the opening track
of the band’s EP, titled Detours. Paisty Jenny is a startlingly
talented band out of Lincoln, Neb., and their EP may only have five
songs … but they are all damn good.
Paisty
Jenny could be compared to Nickleback or Ugly Kid Joe and both are
apropos. They take an ’80s approach to their music, but sonically,
they fit in with all of the bands on modern rock radio. Take the first
song, “Anymore.” It has the sort of driving rhythm guitar
sound you hear most bands use today, but the song actually has a valid
guitar solo.
The
best song is probably “Crisis,” a track about a guy growing
up, getting hitched, and realizing his best days are behind him. The
cynical chorus will have you singing along immediately: “Give
up, grow up. These words mean the same damn thing. Give up, grow up,
once she got that diamond ring she said, Give up, grow up, family
life it is so priceless. Give up, grow up, welcome to my midlife crisis.”
The bridge will remind you a little of bands like Blink 182. Overall,
this is one of the songs that could and should catapult this band
to “The Big Time.” You’ll be hard pressed to find
an overall better rock song this year.
“Denied,”
shows another side to the band at the beginning. It’s slow,
acoustic, and then Lee lets loose with a primal, throaty yell. This
song is chunky and mean.
Track
4, “Comfortable,” is the song the band is promoting right
now. They’ve been getting some radio exposure with it. “Comfortable”
is a more mature song for the band, showing that while they can just
crank it up and play like hell, they understand how to compose a smart
track too. They write impressive choruses, and that continues here
with the question, “Are you comfortable … to live with
the pain?” Lee does a good job of giving a sense of longing
in his delivery, and it’s easy to see why the band is leaning
on this song.
After
hearing the first four songs, “Belief” belies what you
thought Paisty Jenny was all about. While the other songs were about
negative things, or at least, focusing on problems and obstacles —
detours — this song is completely uplifting. “It’s
belief that gets us there, it’s belief that gets you where you
want to go. Look inside your heart, then you will know.” Guitarist
Jonny Ray again shows off he knows how to play exactly what the song
calls for, and while “Crisis” seems to be the best song
here, “Belief” isn’t far behind.
There
is a ton of music being made today that you may never get a chance
to hear. Paisty Jenny is one of those bands you should not miss. Also,
if you get a chance to see them live, they can recreate perfectly
what they did in the studio and blow you away with their covers as
well. Talent to burn, baby …
www.paistyjenny.com
Label: Direct Hit Records
Track listing: 1. Anymore 2. Crisis 3. Denied 4. Comfortable 5. Belief
HRH
Rating: N/A
