ONES - CD THE ONES

Popis - THE ONES:
The Ones have been shaking up the rock-n-roll scene in Portland since early 2005. Between opening for acts like The Nice Boys, The Romantics and Tyla (Dogs D’Amour) they’ve found time to record a couple of singles, one on Snakehead Vinyl and the other, a split with the Slip-Its on Waxvaccine Records as well as an appearance on the fabulous Cat Piss Studios Compilation “Jukebox Yearbook 2006”. And now, Waxvaccine Records is proud to announce the release of The Ones’ ?rst full-length self-titled album.11 brand new punk-rock-n-roll hits that are tough enough for all the rock-n-rollers, yet the ladies can still dance to it. (Picture a drunken ?st?ght with The Stones and Who on one side and The MC5 and Jam on the other.) 'This debut full length release from The Ones kicks some serious ass. Equal parts rock and punk barrages explode from both barrels. Musically they draw from all sorts of styles, old school late 70’s punk, guitar based New Wave, a dash of roots rock, and other genres while placing their indelible style stamp on the final results. Whatever it is, it’s high energy rock n’ roll octane and I dig it. I haven’t been this blown away by a new band in quite a while. The material’s fun and lively with balls and teeth intact and after catching them live I’m proud to report that the recorded material translates seamlessly onto a stage. The Ones are easily one of the best bands working the Portland scene right now and rumors of a U.S. tour have begun to surface. Can’t recommend this one enough. 10 on a scale of 1-11.' - The Swede (CULTURE BUNKER DOT COM) 'Portland dudes who play scruffy power pop, very much in the Dream Police-era Cheap Trick vein, with maybe a little pogo-ready Tuff Darts thrown in for extra kick. They sound like chicks dig ‘em. And that's the whole idea behind all this bullshit, isn't it?' Ken Sleaze (Sleazegrinder Magazine) 'I’ve heard the Ones described as both the best band in town and the worst. Which leads me to wonder: What could be so heinously awful or unbelievably awesome about a band whose music lies somewhere between Cheap Trick and Bruce Springsteen? Going into the Ones’ self-titled debut, I had yet to see the band live, and its first single (while only a taste) was a song I already knew. All of these factors led to a similar ambivalence. So why has this straightforward four-piece elicited such extreme reactions from Portland music fans? Well, the Ones’ first full-length actually makes some sense of these contradictory opinions. Though made up of seasoned rockers—members’ past bands include Poison Idea, Religious War, the Procrastinators and the Weaklings—the Ones do make a brand of retro rock that’s worthy of both praise and derision, often in the same song. Take “Sweet Little Bombers,” for instance: The alternately ringing and choppy guitar chords during the chorus lend themselves perfectly to Pete Townshend-style air-guitar windmills, and the female vocals on the “Don’t ya know/ Don’t ya know?!” verses remind me of Toody Cole’s off-key shouts on Dead Moon’s “It’s OK”—an all-time favorite. But “Sweet Little Bombers” misses perfection thanks to several cheeseball moments like the line, “All the sweet little bombers/ Got their eyes on the mambas.” Another lyric that’ll make you cringe is “My head, my head/ Feels just like lead” (from “My Arms”), as does the hokey, awkwardly played guitar shuffle in “Dead on My Feet.” Yet the sweet pre-chorus of “Dead” (“I remember your lips and a cigarette”) is brilliant, the kind that gets perpetually stuck in your head. So The Ones is a little flawed. But you know what? There are three factors that, for my money, redeem its downfalls: Vocalist Andrew Coursen has a unique and fantastic voice for rock ‘n’ roll that, in its earnestness and spirit, just begs to be yelled along with. Drummer Tim Slapper keeps it simple throughout, but he can really play when he needs to, as evidenced in his rare and stellar fills. And, finally, there simply could not be more energy packed into this record. Folks may love and hate the band in general, but anyone who doesn’t find him- or herself occasionally moving to this record just hates fun, if you ask me.' Jason Simms (WILLAMETTE WEEK)