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Punk Rock Review
The Steinways - "Missed The Boat" - Hell fucking yes! See, now this is what pop punk is supposed to be (and what so many, many bands who play it totally fail at): fun, catchy as hell, full of humor, harmonies and fast, short, memorable songs. Wow. Good pop punk like this makes you completely ignore the fact that it's all been done a million times before. What could be generic in lesser hands becomes instead an irresistible sing-along. The Steinways deliver an amazing group of songs that are devoid of any annoying notions of either contrived originality or mindless mimicking (the two ends of the spectrum that a sizable majority of punk bands sadly fall into). What do the Steinways sound like? Sort of like a faster Chixdiggit with better melodies and far better lyrics. If you've ever even remotely enjoyed any pop punk, this album will make you a believer. Stand-out songs: I Wanna Kiss (You On The Lips), Fruitmarket Fantasy, Carrie Goldberg (Cd - Cold Feet Records)
- Eric Peabody, Punk Rock Review
Punknews.org
The kids will always have their say. And they will always have their fun. For every snarling, braying, acerbic and biting Black Flag, you have smiling, sunny, bouncy and funny Descendents. The early `80s saw the inception of loads of pissed off punk bands. But it also saw many of those pissed off punks lace their anger with potent humor. Many bands have come along since to mete out the meanness with spoonfuls of laughs.
The Steinways are not in this to fight. They don't want to smash the state or smash your face. They're just looking to have a good time and sing about the trivial headaches, heartaches and stomachaches that haunt their daily lives. That might seem trite but it's human, o so human. It clicks best when anyone can relate.
For two reasons (not musical) I give this band props: They recorded with Chris Pierce in my old hood of New Brunswick, NJ. And the lyrics to "Warped Tour" go as follows: " One million bands / One million hours / Too bad all of it sucked ." Why are so few bands willing to slay the sacred cows of "punk" rock, especially when those bovine creatures stomp upon the mainstream musical landscape with unfettered hubris? It's refreshing to hear voices unafraid of offending the aristocrats of current pop music.
What we have otherwise is 20 songs of 4/4 high-octane pop-punk -- raspy-voiced bopping bubblegum punk. That's 20 songs with a total running time of 21:31. They deserve adulation for that feat, in a time when more and more bands strive to cram as much music as possible onto a CD. Amidst the normal punk barrage, the band offer quieter passages, funkier asides, all of it passed off with a grin and a humorous air.
This sounds like music created by teenagers, for teenagers. They come from nice suburban homes and I'm sure they put on a fun show. Someone probably dresses up in a funny outfit and maybe gets naked. Despite the frivolity on display, there are keen social observations at work here. "Onlyundiesclub.com" addresses the phenomenon of online flirting: " They're all girls from hardcore shows / Only now they're not wearing any hooded sweatshirts ." Otherwise, the lyrics pertain to our protagonist's lack of love. Isn't that always the story with singers of rock'n'roll bands?
- cboland, Punknews.org
Razorcake
East coast pop-punk group who befriends the likes of the Ergs and the Unloveables (in fact one of the songs has a bridge that is a nod and a wink to the Unloveables' "Feelin all Emo Since I Broke Up With You" song. Only the lyrics here go: Feelin all emo since I ran out of weed! Hahahahaha....uhm, okay, maybe you had to be there). Think Wiggle-era Screeching Weasel. Oh they also have a super duper cute gal on bass and a Middle Eastern lookin' gent on guitar.
- Mr. Z, Razorcake
"Reviews" from the Pop Punk Message Board
"The Steinways record is easily one of the top three records of the year, regardless of genre, no, I take that back, because of its genre. Almost no one, myself included, thought that pop-punk could ever enjoy the kind of renaissance it's undergoing today, and yet the Steinways have managed to take what most people thought was a played-out style and make it new and fresh again. Grath Madden is a genius and the Steinways are one of the best new bands in America today." - Larry Livermore
"I'd like to try and give the steinways cd a truthful review. Its probably the only cd that came out in 2006 that i bought and listened to a ton. Its been in my minivan 6 disc changer for months now so i've heard it a ton. I've never met any of the folks in the band and only know them from this bored. I actually really like the Jerkingtons songs eventhough i dont know the people they make fun of.
The cd is good, but not perfect. I think there are some inside-jokes/references that would make people 'in the know' like it more than people who are not. The recording is all good. There are some great hooks and good lyrics. There are also some songs that are short that almost seem "fillerish"; like a good line or 2 of lyrics and a good riff were thought up but instead of adding more to it, it was used as a quick 'funny' song. I like 'quick funny' songs as much as the next guy but they get old faster than 'longer' songs. The longer songs (longer meaning around 2 minutes) are more to my liking. I dont know the songs titles so i'll just use lines from the songs to name the ones that stand out in my mind as being ones i liked include "tropicana smoothing and a smile", "carrie goldberg", and onlyundieclub.com. The only song i usually fast forward through is the Everyone Loves Raymond song.
Overall, i think its a good cd. i've listened to it more times than the Ergs but fewer times than the Unlovables. If I was in this band and having fun, i've be very pleased with this release and also very proud it.
ps. i'm the worst person to review music because i dont know much about it." - Dave Ninja (The Four Eyes)
"Nothing about this album is pure genius or anything with the possible exception of "you're so pretty, you're so asian, kiss me baby I'm caucasin" but it's so ridiculously fun it doesn't matter. I dare anyone to listen to this and not be smiling when it's over."
- Manda (Incessant Drip Records)
"My opinion of the record, not that anyone asked for it, is that it's about as good something so confined by the genre of Pop Punk can be -- but it definitely is confined by the parameters of that genre. I think it's obvious that Grath has a ton of natural talent as a songwriter and could probably make a legitimately great record if ever set his mind to it and broadened the pallet he's working with. It's a really good record -- extremely fun, funny, and catchy -- but I get the sense that Grath could write this record plus another one just as good in the exact same style if he sat down for a few days with garageband. So, in that sense, it really makes me wonder what he could do in a different and more serious band, maybe writing songs with people who would cause him to go in different directions. In the meantime, though, this is still pretty awesome."
- Matt Dorsey (Dead Mechanical, Sick Sick Birds)
"Grath as a lyricist is extremely underrated, and I was hoping that "Missed the Boat" reviewers would pick up on just how brilliant his lyrics actually are. Perhaps it's because I personally know him so well, but I really do think his lyrics are brilliant, unique, and almost unbelievably honest. I can't name another band who has lyrics quite like his... Yes, the Steinways are definitely a pop punk band's pop punk band, but they turn the genre on its head, in my opinion. Especially lyrically. Anyway, I'm a big fan and close friends with all the members, so take my opinion with a grain of salt."
- Chadd Derkins (Slaughterhouse 4, Short Attention)
"I like the short songs. some bands short songs suck. but these are good. they're at least funny and have good tuneage. and what the hell isn't a short song? they're all under 2 minutes except 2, right? i mean, i can listen to this shit like 3 times a morning. its perfect. the short songs serve as mood changers or something deep like that."
- Hanny
Missed the Boat is a great record. One of the best to come out this year. - Trevor Spaulding
Punktastic
Someone once said 'if it's not fun, it's not worth doing'. It may have been Homer Simpson, I'm not too sure. Either way, it's a statement that tends to apply to most aspects of life, and in music it's no different. Sometimes you need a record to listen to that just puts a smile on your face, and instantly forces you to get up and dance about like a buffoon. Thankfully The Steinways are here to make that happen. 'Missed the Boat' is no more that twenty minutes in length, and as it comprises of as many songs as it does minutes, I'm inclined to be a little sceptical. Thirty second punk songs were always lost on me. However, as much as I wanted to hate this record for whatever it may contain, I just couldn't. It's impossible to hate something as punchy or simply as witty as this.
Nearly all the songs present here are based around things as trivial as nymphomaniac sixteen year olds and running out of weed. Again, my gut reaction after a quick glance at the lyrics booklet would cause me to write this cd off as worthless, if it wasn't for the sharp wit with which the lyrics are worded. 'Why don't Jewish girls like me?' is a prime example of this, managing to make a complete mockery of the pop-punk genre with the simple words 'pop punk, pop punk, girl girl girl, girls don't like me, boo hoo hoo'. Who else can manage to get a message across like that in such a razor-sharp way?
Elsewhere there are more complete tales of teenage angst in the form of 'I wanna kiss you on the lips' and 'Fruitmarket fantasy'. It's in songs like this where the Atom and His Package/Guttermouth influences shine through strongest. You're asking too much for this band to utilise more than three chords and a simplistic drumbeat in one song, but what the Steinways lack in musical knowledge, they make up in their delivery, and each one and a half minute tale of teenage heartbreak and drug abuse is delivered in the most satisfying way.
Yes, there's limited appeal here, and no, you won't find yourself listening to this album more than a couple of times, and in those cases it's really only for the novelty factor, but the Steinways aren't aiming to write symphonies. They're here to make you smile, and if they do that for just half an hour, their mission is accomplished. 'Missed the boat' is no masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a damn giggle all the same.
- Andy R, Punktastic
Ben Weasel
I've been keeping plenty busy these days but not so much that I have completely forgotten my blogging responsibilities. I'll have a ton of updates soon on the new radio show, new label and new record (which started tracking a few days ago) but in the meantime I want to tell you about this band the Steinways and their record Missed The Boat.
Released last summer, Missed The Boat is, I believe, the first long-player from this Queens quartet. Baltimore transplant Grath Madden is the ringleader, writing the songs as well as singing and playing guitar. He's backed up by another guitarist named Ace, Michelle Shirelle on bass and the troubled but capable Chris Grivet on drums.
Having been told many times over the years that such and such band sounds like Screeching Weasel, I've usually found that the case tends to be vastly overstated. With the Steinways, the influence is obvious but not grating. What sets this band apart from the usual gang of copycats are two things: an almost maniacal devotion to a minimalist approach and a genuine knack for original songwriting.
The problem with the minimalism thing is that it starts to grow old quick. It's one thing when a lousy one-note joke band keeps pounding that same key in an effort to get you to laugh, but when Madden comes up with yet another great song that he insists on ending after maybe one verse and a chorus, it starts to annoy. That one verse and chorus are, in most cases, good enough that I'd advise you to pick this album up pronto, but I'm hoping they head in a direction that sees Madden taking his songs a little more seriously and avoiding the temptation to go for the broad, almost vaudevillian humor he embraces on Missed The Boat. He has a ton of potential as a songwriter and while this album is probably a blast if you know the guys and go to see them play all the time in NY, it's bound to fall a little short of the mark for the rest of us. That the Steinways don't take themselves too seriously is indeed a blessing, but that they apparently don't take Madden's songwriting very seriously either is a real shame.
Minimalism aside, Madden's songwriting approach is relatively unique in a genre teeming with hacks and copycats; his style is somewhat similar to Frank Portman's in that he embraces conventional songwriting (though you might miss it at first glance) over hipster affectations and trends. He's also clearly well-versed in melodic punk and has a lighthearted, give-a-shit attitude that puts him in stark contrast to the shoe-gazing contingent; he gets that songs about girls are essentially funny. Madden isn't really doing anything that hasn't been done before - who among us is? - but he's got his own unique take on the formula and with a little work his songs could go toe to toe with any of the greats in the genre. The major disappointment of Missed The Boat is that Madden doesn't seem particularly inclined to try to push himself to that level.
Madden sings in a style similar to that of the Descendents' Milo Aukerman. Michelle's backing vocals add a nice dimension seldom heard in pop punk bands. The musicianship is good but the arrangements are bare-bones; the whole thing was recorded on a shoestring budget in an eye-blink so there's not much going on other than the basics. I hope the next time the Steinways make an album the songs are fleshed out more, that the band can spend more time on arrangements and production ideas, and that they can manage to scrape up the money to give themselves a little breathing room in the studio. But whatever the album's shortcomings, there is a genuine spark in the Steinways that most who walk down this path are sorely lacking; at the very least, they seem to be having fun rather than plotting a career path, and that's a rare sight indeed among bands that are actually listenable. I think the Steinways are just going to keep getting better; to that end, I'd advise you to get in on the ground floor by shelling out a few bucks for this one.
- Ben Weasel
Rockin' Days (Italian)
La Cold Feet Records mi fa avere questo cd e nel giro di 2 minuti mi innamoro, dico ai parenti che mi sposo con una band americana e prenoto il viaggio di nozze con tutti e quattro i componenti, anche se devo ammettere che anche solo la presenza della bassista mi farebbe contento, ma questo è un altro discorso! Allora torniamo alla recensione e vi dico semplicemente che qui dentro trovate pop punk di ottima qualità, quello per cui noi veterani andiamo ancora pazzi e ci fa saltellare e muovere il piede mentre sorseggiamo la nostra Bud. Melodie coinvolgenti, tirate ed elementari, ma di grande impatto, sicuramente gia sentite e risentite, ma chi se ne frega? A noi piace risentirle ancora e gasarci mentre sentiamo gli assolini o i ritornelli mielosi immaginando di essere sotto al palco a cantarle tutti insieme. Da segnalare gli ospiti Mike Erg (The Ergs) e Hallie Unlovable (The Unlovables) che presta la voce ad una canzone che riprende proprio un pezzo dei suoi Unlovables. Un disco da avere per tutti gli appassionati! - Kallo, Rockin' Days
Frantic Sound (Danish)
Der er grøde i den amerikanske pop-punk scene i øjeblikket, hvor der i øjeblikket er mange nye spændende bands på vej op. Et af dem er The Steinways fra Queens, New York, hvor også legendariske Ramones havde sin vugge. Det er dog ikke ren Ramones-core, kvartetten The Steinways spiller. Forsanger og sangskriver Grath Madden har lyttet mere til The Ergs, Chixdiggit og Screeching Weasel end de gamle legender, men det gør i dette tilfælde absolut ikke noget. Hans sange emmer af humor og skøre indfald, og sangtitler som "((Holy Shit) I Can't Believe I Still Don't Have) A Girlfriend" og numre på 8 sekunder er hverdagskost på dette album.
Heldigvis er der også "rigtige" sange med på ".Missed The Boat". Rigtig gode sange endda. Og de er spredt godt og grundigt ud over alle 20 skæringer, med de bedste gemt til sidst: " "Onlyundiesclub.com," "Why Don't Jewish Girls Like Me?" og "Carrie Goldberg" er blandt mine absolutte favoritter. Men også " Fruitmarket Fantasy " og " I Wanna Kiss You On The Lips " har jeg gået og nynnet med på siden sommeren, hvor pladen udkom. De gode sange skæmmes dog af de mange små intermezzoer, som måske er sjove første gang man hører dem, men i længden er belastende.
Bortset fra dette kritikpunkt har Steinways fat i den lange ende, og når man tænker på at dette er deres debutalbum, vil jeg gerne citeres for at sige at vi får meget mere at høre fra denne lovende kvartet. Helt klart et af 2006s bedste album. - Frantic Sound
Punk Or Nothing
Looks like I'm broke again tonight, the oven glows, let's boil the bowls, still a half of whisky to decide between cream cheese on toast or rice and beans then it's lights out, headphones, DVDs.", Grath Madden snarls under a layer of exquisite guitar fuzz and drum thwacks, the opening song to The Steinways' hot debut Missed The Boat almost a fifth of its way in. From New York City, these Queens kids keep their songs short and simple, which is a wise way to go about business in these times of the masses of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (bah) fanatics dominating a large percentage of so-called punk rockers. Punk groups who think they're gifted enough to not tire once exceeding the length of four minutes have definitely run out of ideas and ultimately run their course, don't want to go back to their day jobs and are latching onto the current 'quantity equals quality' attitude. Hands up who agrees with me!!! You there with the American Idiot t-shirt, see me after class, because you seem to have missed the point of PUNK!!!!!!!!
Missed The Boat encapsulates everything that made music of its genre so appealing in the first place - shit that we can all relate to sung over solid honest tunes. Madden sings about what can really bite deep, like being the loser: can't find a girl, can't keep a girl, being broke. and all the other shit: girl won't go away, awful sitcoms, and shitty music. The Steinways far from take themselves seriously, and instead vent themselves through their own sense of comedy, that being sinister: ".you're a special girl, you're not like my grandma 'cause she's dead and you're not!!!!", and also in-your-face: "I know I said that I'd be coming round, but I've got homes to stay in, and video games to play". The Steinways like to write songs that anyone, punk or otherwise, can find side-splittingly tragic and uplifting, such as the LP's instant highlights "Dear Girl", "Carrie Goldberg", "Why Don't Jewish Girls Like Me?", "I Want To Kiss You On The Lips" and "((Holy Shit) I Can't Believe I Still Don't Have) A Girlfriend" - these gems which are pretty much worth the cost of the record itself. There's also the mentionable bizarre and brilliant cover-art by one Mitch Clem, author of the punk rock cartoons that changed lives, San Antonio Rock City and Nothing Nice To Say.
Let's ALL be Steinways and hock a loogie at life, and while we're at it let's grab a copy of Missed The Boat, an album which I think should one day cited as one of the best pieces of pop-punk since "My Brain Hurts" or possibly "Grow Up". - Richard, Punk Or Nothing
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