Face Down Presley- Ready to Die?
Reviewed by Jeremy Thieroff
The three guys in Face Down Presley proclaim that they write “Songs For The Devil” and they might not be lying. This twelve-track self-made CD is non-stop rock n’ roll from start to finish. Drawing inspiration and influence from punk-rock icons like The Supersuckers and The Candy Snatchers, “Mean” Gene, Face Down David, and Couch never let the listener come up for air.
The Disc busts right out of the gate with one of the better tracks on “Ready To Die”. “Bleeder” is all guitars and speed. It’s obvious that the band isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel and is, instead, telling tales about drinking, fucking, and fighting. It’s the typical rock and roll blueprint, for better or worse. The guitar riffs are especially strong and it’s obvious that there were overdubs to sweeten the sound. “Songs For The Devil” follows right up with good transistions and a chorus that you can sing along to. “Gypsy Queen” is probably the strongest track on the first half of the CD and it’s worded so most drunk punks know EXACTLY what the boys in FDP are talking about. “Mexico” is a blast and might actually be too short. The guitar effects add a new layer that you haven’t heard until this point and the lyrics (”pistols, liquor, and violence”)add to the kick-ass vibe. It’s almost like you don’t want it to end.
After “Mexico” (the midpoint of the CD) things start to get a bit muddled. “Ready To Kill”, “Rock-N-Roll”, and “Ruckus” all could have been written in the same practice session. The songs start to sound the same and the distinction from one to the next is hard to make. It doesn’t kill the CD dead, but it certainly interrupts the flow and could lose any listeners with a hort attention span. Thankfully they get back on track with “Shotgun Johnny” and “Squatter”. “Squatter” in particular makes you chuckle (”how do I get you out of my house?”). Overall, the structure is good because it starts fast and strong and ends the same way.
The guys in Face Down Presley chose to record this album themselves and the limitations of that style do show. The rythym section does not get there just due in the process of listening of the disc. Couch’s playing is tremendous on “Ready To Die”, but the speed of the songs themselves limits what he can do. And the cymbals are hideously low, thereby denying the music some nice accents that would have been well-served in some of the songs. The bass is buried (six feet under) beneath the twin guitars and the vocals and there aren’t enough starts and stops to give it some breathing room. I literally heard the bass by itself once on the entire album. It is obvious that these guys know how to play TOGETHER though, which makes each song a clean ride. The tricks that are used have a tendency to get borowed from far too many other sons (the stutters, the guitar solos and fills, repeating the chorus multiple times to end the song) but those are forgivable.
Is “Ready To Die?” a perfect piece of punk rock? No. But it’s not meant to be. Face Down Presley is three friends who like to get drunk, have fun, and live to tell (and sing) about the tales. These guys recorded this disc in an old-school DIY style and tried to amp up the fun factor. And it works. For a first effort it’s damn commendable. Here’s to them hopefully realizing some of the potential they show here even further on their next CD.
7.5/10
To submit music to be reviewed, contact Jeremy at P.O. Box 101806, Pittsburgh PA 15237
