JC's Revenge - Action

Hear The Track Here

So far I've liked both the JC's Revenge tracks I have heard and reviewed, more to do with my own personal preference for this kind of alternative rock. That's the American kind mind, not the whiny, 'oooh look at me my life is soooo tragic' English strain. All of which is exceeding strange when you consider that this is a UK band. From Cheltenham, more to the point, noted more for its Girls School than anything that lads may be up to. There again, it may just be the term 'schoolgirl' playing havoc with me thinking bits. Best get back to the music before this starts getting all messy. It's been almost a year since I last heard from them so either they have been avoiding me (not unknown, I might add) or they have been busy on the live circuit.

Mike Green, Sam Christie, Richard Morgan and Tim Dutton are wot makes up this band, and I would imagine they are a pretty good live act. Certainly as far as the music I have heard from them so far and Action backs up that promise admirably. Where I have been my usual caustic self concerning the work of these guys has been (as usual) the final sound that is presented to you and me - the listener. Now me, I've got tin ears from a lifetime of listening to music in all weathers and conditions, and I'm used to sifting out extraneous noise, but most people don't have that benefit. Consequently, the 'liveness', raw, edgy sound that Action comes packaged in is not much more than a live mix in sound and fury.

While that shows the band and the song in good stead (Action means action, ya'd better believe!), it doesn't convey the full power of this band's sound. That's obviously down to the way this gets recorded and put into binary form but nonetheless this is a very LOUD track and outside of the guitars there isn't a whole lot of meaningful instrument definition. Definitely a wooly kind of mix, and that is BEFORE the vocals kick in. Once the verbals start, you might as well stuff a couple of sheep in your ears because thats how wooly things really get. There is no doubt in my mind that here is a track in sore need of rescuing. See, the track buried underneath all this is a beaut. A rock classic that would blow your damn fool head off at a thousand yards - in a perfect world. P-U-H-leeze, sort this mix out and this - I absolutely guarantee - would be a red meat. fire breathing bad mofo.

Recommended Alternative Rock (provided you can get by a noisy, muffled mix)