This year, I have been very fortunate in finding good free releases from bands willing to take chance and bank on their performances. Rather than release a bunch of demos, many recording artists are putting forth quality artistic efforts for free, and these are hooking audiences and expanding awareness of their work. The Earth Program’s Invade! continues this trend.
I would describe the Chicago-based band’s debut LP as spacey, psychedelic punk. Tracks range from the experimental (Keeneecheewaa) to pop-punk (Pink Pit [reprise]) to damn good (Mawkish) and everything in between. They even include a hidden track at about 10:58 on the 13th track, Stay Tuned.
I am not typically enamored with what is labeled as pop-punk, but I really enjoyed this recording. Much along the line of the new Hot Rats and MGMT releases, Invade! demonstrates that you can make a good album that is a lot of fun. So give it a try, I bet you won’t regret it.
VERDICT – 3.75/5
The Earth Program – Pink Pit (Reprise) [MP3]
Download Invade! from the Internet Archive
Buy the CD from The Earth Program
Cheers…
It’s great to finally again have intelligence and fun in music. And, how great it is to want to listen to a record over and over. Keep the Invasion going and stay tuned!
Tooo Coool…!!!