JC's Revenge - This Year

Hear The Track Here

JC's Revenge are a band from Cheltenham in the UK who I have been aware of for around a year. When I reviewed Another Way (August 2005) I liked their brand of guitar based soft rock (to be utterly correct Alternative General according to Soundclick) and although the track had some problems, I said this would be a band to keep an eye on. I really liked 7/11 (October 2005) with it's breezy guitar/vocal combinations which helped to solidify the band in my eyes. However, as was obvious when I reviewed Action (August 2006) that something was not right in the production department. This Year only confirms that

There are probably a good many of you shaking their heads right now and hoping that I am not going to off on one. What does it matter, you sigh wearily, haven't you heard good production only REALLY applies to commercial music? Sorry to burst your bubble there fellah, but no, it applies just as much online, if not more. See, we all think that if we give our music away people will love it and clutch it to their breast. Well as a fairly dedicated onlline music listener I have only squirreled away some 80+ tracks this year to go into my keeper-for-ever files. So that should go some way to showing just how difficult it is.

The competition, my friends, is slick, hungry ready to rumble.

So as good as some of JC's Revenge material has been in terms of songwriting and performance, it always falls down in the delivery. Most of the material has a 4/8 track feel about it and I personally feel it doesn't do the band any favours. Surprisingly enough, there ARE goals to aim for in Internet life and the main one is obviously gaining a sizeable audience. While it's true that people will like what this band does (and in their material and performance they get me too) they won't be able to take a larger step forward until they solve this basic problem. As a final word, like all of their tracks, I finally ended up liking This Year and that has been the same with everything I have from them. I LIKE what they do, but now maybe is the time to take it up a notch.

Pleasant alternative rock, despite its rough appearance.