Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 07/05/2005
Schleprock had that revivalist
punk sound particular to California, a swaggering blend of
the Clash and vintage British
punk-pop shot through with the influence of crackly old
reggae records. Think
Rancid,
Green Day, or
Sublime. For whatever reason
Schleprock didn't quite break through like those bands did, despite a solid major label effort in 1996's
(America's) Dirty Little Secret. They effectively broke up after that and issued the
Long Time Ago retrospective in 1997. That makes 2005's
Learning to Fall the band's second look back, but it's with a few extra tears, given the death of founding guitarist
Jeff Graham in 2002.
Learning is more comprehensive than
Long Time, including
Dirty Little Secret material like the fantastic single
"Suburbia," the
Ramones cover
"Freak of Nature," and a live version of
Hide and Seek's
Paul Westerberg-ish
"Tomorrow" that's made even more poignant in light of
Graham's death. Elsewhere there's
"Do it All" and
"Monster," both sound like they could've come out on
SST in 1982, a
dub remix of
"T.V. Dinner," and
"Happy Home," the highlight of 1994's
Propeller and an anthem more powerful and rousing than all the power chords in the history of the
Warped Tour. The
Schleprock faithful will have most or all of
Learning to Fall's playlist, but it's the perfect introduction for anyone who missed them the first time around.
~Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
Cart 0 items
Listen
