Constant Velocity

Muttonhead

(Misc Music)

Record Review by Amber Henson

Although I am generally a very sarcastic and sometimes negative person in real life, I try to stay away from that in my  reviews.  I mostly review small bands and they don’t need to be busted down for their ridiculousness the way big bands have to be.  So when I started listening to Constant Velocity’s Muttonhead I started to wonder if I should actually go forward with reviewing them.

Lead singer Alex Smith has vocals that, well, I don’t want to be mean.  Let’s just say they’re a little cringe worthy.  And sometimes the music sounds like my ex-boyfriend’s band from high school, which is not a compliment.  The lyrics can be uninspired, and the guitar parts occasionally fade in and out in a way that makes them sound like they don’t know what they’re doing. 

But then they can also pull off a pleasing combination of devil rock and interesting ska interpretation.  Smith sometimes yells in a way that works for him like it works for The Offspring, or sometimes he sings through a filter. Sometimes the songs are a little country, sometimes they remind me of a bizarre amalgamation of the Presidents of the United States, Smash Mouth, and the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies.  My favorite song, purely for the lyrics alone, is called “Truculent” and starts “Nice truck, asshole.”  Smith shows that he does have a close hold on his words, singing/talking very quickly about the stupidity of the person with the giant pickup truck.

Clearly, in the end, I did review Muttonhead, and that means I found something redeeming in a band I was on the fence about.  Constant Velocity is one of the more eclectic bands I’ve heard lately.  Usually, bands choose a theme to go with for their album and stick with it.  Not so with Muttonhead.  Try it.  Give it a few tracks.  You just may like it.