GRINSPOON
Easy
by J Freak

Grinspoon are in my opinion the best real rock band Ausiie has to offer. They have delighted us previously with some excellent material. Their latest offer is standard pub rock as only the grinners can do it.

Although I am a big fan, this latest offering lacks the punch of Guide to Better Living. Maybe because GTBL was the first album and their first real success so there was a huge Grinspoon wave. This album does have some highlights but in general is not the full album of hard tunes that Guide to Better Living was.

The album starts reasonably with the American Party Bomb. The hit comes when song 2 starts. By far the best song on the album - Ready 1. I downloaded this as an mp3 yonks ago, and still ahve the urge to play it at unbearable levels of volume. The album dribbles along for another couple of tracks with no real inspiration, and then you are pounded with another "must turn this up loud" track. Secrets is highlighted on the front of the cd, and with good reason.

Some other great tunes on the cd are Overdriver, Better Off Dead and Signpost. There is a different approach than we are used to from Grinspoon in the slower Violent and Lazy, and the final track Dial Tone.

Grinner fans - you will love this. If you are yet to sample the flavours of Grinspoon, I'd check out their 2nd EP - Licker Bottle Cozy and their first album Guide to Better Living as their best stuff.

Rock On!!

- HISTORY OF GRINSPOON -

These guys have their beginnings way back in 1995 when they were unearthed in Lismore by JJJ. Their song that made it on to the JJJ unearthed cd was Sickfest. This lead to a dbut EP with Oracle Records that (according to the sleeve info) was recorded and edited in just 2 days in September of 1995.

This EP contained 2 songs that would make it in the big time. The funny thing is that one of them didn't make it until 3 years further down the track. These songs were Sickfest (obviously) and More Than You Are. This EP also contained a bizarre piece of thrashing around as a hidden track.

Next off the press was the more successful Licker Bottle Cozy, this time with MCA records. This release (in 1996) offered some of the tracks the Grinners continue to play at their gigs now. Post Enebriated Anxiety (PEA) and Champion were the 2 big offers. All the other songs were pretty good as well, these two just stood out.

Following this was the debut album. This time with BMG records, Guide to Better Living came out in 1997. It offered some previously heard tracks such as Sickfest, PEA and Champion. It also unleashed a hoard of fantastic tracks, from the morbid DCX3, to partying, rocking items such as Pedestrian, Just Ace and Repeat. Special mention must be made to the low price of $22 the cd was sold for. A relief in those days.

A fair break between releases, and the Grinspoon fans called out loud enough to be heard. An EP to satisfy us until the new album was launched. The EP Pushing Buttons dropped the heavy Black Friday in our laps. It also offered us the revisitation of More than You Are. This release saw More than You Are leap into the charts and the Net 50 list. This release also saw Grinspoon attempt to enter the computer age with a multimedia offering, which was simply pictures in a slide show for a screensaver.

And now we enter the age of Easy. Ready 1 was the first track, and it reminded us of old Grinspoon times. For details on the rest of the album, you are going to have to read my other review.

Go Grinners Go!!

This review won Watching the J's Grinspoon review competition (March-April 2000).