 Shot Baker - www.shotbaker.com
Awake (released 2004)
Underground Communique - www.victoryrecords.com
Chicago's Shot Baker play great sing-a-long hardcore punk rock! And the best part... Lead man Tony Kovacs vocals greatly remind me of Al Barr from Dropkick Murphys! If there ever was a sing-a-long band, DKM would be it and with Shot Baker's heavy tones and Tony's vocals you can't help but sing-a-long. The disc features fufteen tracks of the usual hardcore messages, political, mainly personal and all highly emotional. Shot Baker's sounds and messages make the band feel really friendly and accessable. Unlike many hardcore punk bands, who seem stand-offish or even unapproachable, Shot Baker makes feel like I can scream along with them, then sit down and drink a cold one with the lot of them. "Awake" is a great album that really moves you at every turn... Each track, regardless of the message, is upbeat, aggressive and most importantly loud and proud! I found myself listening to this album for days on end, any chance that I got. In all the time that I have listened to this disc, I thought that I had a few favorite tracks, but the reality is that all of them are great! I don't want to suggest one over the other, because they do just what you want them to do to you...make you wanna fight, drive fast or drink hard. Or all three! Another thing I should mention, maybe I'm the only one that notices this, but the very first track "The World She Hides", the underlying melody reminds me of "Rio"... You know the ancient song from Duran Duran? Bizzare. I'm sure it's not intentional, but listen to it on the openign thirty seconds, it's really close. Especially on the chorus. who cares! "Awake" is a an awesome disc that almost sounds like the soundtrack to someone's life and they are finally let the anger out that they have been building up for so many years. With "Awake", Shot Baker's has released one of the best disc of 2005 (actually released 2004, but who's counting) and fans of solid punk rock, sing-a-longs and accessible hardcore should get this album today! -MG |
