QUADROBURBIA 7"- Cool Catchy Mod-ish pop punk along the ways of Poppy,Down by Law (who aren't Mod) or Bracket (who aren't Mod either) in fact the only Mod thing about this is the way these guys dress, although I still dig this record if not their fashion sense (RL)
QUADROBURBIA 7"- Spazzy punk rock with Mod-ish Buzzcocks guitar grind. Was recorded well over a year or so ago, so no doubt they've become even mightier than this snazzy effort. Youthful Jam-ish feel updated with some '90s anger on Louder than Pop a new local contender? (Martin McMartin)
QUADROBURBIA 7"- Liked this immensely. 3 songs that are fun, not dumb. Pop tainted punk. The band seems to have a deft touch with making the two styles intertwine and compliment each other. A surprising gem from the big valley. (Chelle)
ZOINKS!/ THE GAIN split 7"- Two bands I like quite a bit offer two more tuneful punk gems each. Both bands (especially The Gain) are getting better and sort of almost come close to doing something new and different with the pop punk genre. This is a pretty cool record. (PC) P.S. upon further listens I like this even more. (and the Zoinks guy sounds more like Billy Joe) Go and get yourself one.
SCARED OF CHAKA/ THE GAIN split 7"- The Gain do that sped up pop punk thing they've got some cool rhythms and catchy choruses. Scared of Chaka do the same but a little faster. I advise against playing this at 33 rpm like the record suggest. It didn't sound too bad but it's oh so much better at 45. (CK)
YOU SHOULD KNOW 7"- Four songs, three great, one just mortal. The cover of "I Don't Mind" (Buzzcocks) is brilliant, and not just because it's such a cool song to begin with. These songs are simple rocking punk with elaborate vocals reminding me of Blatz but just with no girl singing. Out of hand is my favorite because I lean towards the Us against the World punk rock inspirational. (GS)
YOU SHOULD KNOW 7"- More Mod punk sounds from these Simi Valley boys. Three excellent fast catchy and loud original songs and a Buzzcocks cover, “I Don't Mind”. This is punk rock!!! They even got Blag from the recently deceased Dwarves twiddling' the knobs for 'em as well as Bradley Cook, Paul Cook's brother from the Sex Pistols helpin' out. Actually, I hear a strong Night Ranger influence going on here, or is that The Jam? Who the fuck knows. If you like your music fast and catchy get off your ass and track this down. (Dooger)
YOU SHOULD KNOW 7"- punk rock that owes more to '77 British punk bands like The Jam than todays pop punk. The pop is there, but it's done real aggressively. They do a killer cover of The Buzzcocks “I Don't Mind”. Good second outing by these guys. (Thrashead)
SING READY STEADY SMASH LP/CD- Somebody set the clocks back twenty years at a lot of the record companies. Plenty of ska-pop-punk-wave releases coming out of the woodwork could easily be mistaken for their forefathers, albeit with better production. Some pay tribute, some add a new twist, and some....well, some just aren't as good. Where twenty years ago there certainly were enough bands with limited musical and/or vocal abilities, it was also a revolution of sorts - a backlash to complacency in music that literally erupted. Now, twenty years too late, record companies are tossing the wide net once again in search of that "new/old sound".Steve Pilace writes all the two and three minute songs here (thirteen songs clock in at just over thirty six minutes). Musically there's a lot of adrenaline here, and the songs have more of a harmonic sense that fellow bangers Offspring, for example, but I don't know how to say this any other way than the blunt truth - Pilace is incapable of singing on key. I know a lot of people who are not technically great vocalists (Ron Wood, Bob Dylan, John Lydon/Rotten) who make up for any shortcomings through pure emotion. These vocals have nothing to offer - vapid, claws on the blackboard screeches - but if you read the lyrics you'll know that you're not missing anything. Not that moshers could care about such things anyway. It's too bad, too. His guitar playing is rapid-fire Ramones riffing, and the rhythm section of Corky Pigeon and Joey Travers is solid. In better hands I'd enjoy hearing "Song For Saturday" (Corky sings this one, and he's off-key too!) or the title track. I wish there were some way to strip the vocals right off the record and play it as an instrumental disc. Like The Ventures on crack. If you're looking for a soundtrack for a skateboarding movie, you've got the perfect sonic assault with no lyrical content to get in the way. They bang, they bash, hell, they even yell "Oi!" at the top of their lungs. But even their best songs, like "Month Of Mondays" and "So Low" are just Green Day without the charm and without the wit. If you're looking for punky pop and rock music worth your dollars, there are far better places to drop your wallet. -Consumable Online
SING READY STEADY SMASH LP/CD- This CD has a lot of good going on but I'll start with the bitching. The Gain are on the cover of the latest Flipside. The article inside sucked, blew, stunk and crapped. I'm so sick of supposedly "funny" interviews that don't even try to be informative. The article was a roundtable discussion on irrelevance, as if talking about nothing and trying to be snide about it is a form of alternative journalism. It's bad writing, usually from interviewers with no creativity who know nothing about the band except that they rock. This brand of Punk Gonzo journalism goes back to the earliest days of Punk. I'm thinking directly about the 70's fanzine Punk, which should have been printed on toilet paper as a duel-purpose item. The Gain promote themselves as some kind of neo-Mod band, which I can see if I squint my eyes and konk myself on the head with a brick. I'll grant them that label on "Hold On To You", but most of the rest falls into the Blink 182 category, with some Green Day thrown in and an unintentional nod to Boston legends Moving Targets. "Told You So" sounds like Moving Targets as much as Sid Vicious sneered like Elvis and Billy Idol sneered like Sid. That said, I can recommend this pretty heartily. If they were around early enough they could have been Green Day. Maybe enough time has passed since Green Day's rise and fall for neo- bands like The Gain to be judged on their own merits. I was a big Green Day fan until Dookie. Not that I hated their success - I just thought the material wasn't that special. -Old Punks.com
SING READY STEADY SMASH LP/CD- First, lead singer and tunesmith Steve Pilace has a huge, major thing for Pete Townshend, circa 1965/66, along with the Jam, Descendents, Buzzcocks and the like. Tracks like "Go Today" and "Last Year's Memories" are great, but the lineage is obvious. So what? To watch the Gain, a three piece from the LA area, is to leave at the end of the night with a glorious vision of a lanky Billie Joe-type guy exploding through hook-driven, three chord pop punk numbers. This is a vision second only to that of drummer Corky Pigeon's powerful drumming. This full-length debut sounds splendid. In fact, it almost sounds mono, too, but that's gotta be intentional. Until the next time they come to town, this will have to do. (JS)
SING READY STEADY SMASH LP/CD- Fun, direct buzzsaw rock music delivered straight up. Though The Gain are basically doing what has been done many times before, they manage to inject so much energy and enthusiasm into their music that it all sounds new again. An explosive rhythm section and Jam-like guitars create an explosive backdrop for songs that are pretty damned exciting. From the sound of this, I'd bet these guys KICK ASS in concert. This is also available on CD. Cool stuff.
SING READY STEADY SMASH LP/CD- An amazing find! The Gain plays a wicked pop-punk with heavy doses of mod influence on their critically acclaimed debut disc! The Gain gives nods to The Buzzcocks, Green Day, and The Jam throughout this stellar effort's thirteen tracks. Featuring the tracks "Frustrated," "What You Give Is What You Get," & "Hold on to You." Years from now this release will be remembered along side some of the great pop-punk records of all-time. Mark my words. -Ska-t-boy.com
SING READY STEADY SMASH LP/CD- Even though I'm a big fan of the genre, most pop-punk bands I hear lately kinda bore me - it's hard to sound interesting when it seems like every three-chord combination has been used. But just when I think pop-punk is dead, along comes The Gain to prove me wrong. They have a sound like a harder Zoinks, or (I'm sure they hate this comparison) old Green Day with rougher vocals; one song sounds a lot a like a Bracket song from a while ago. In short, this is great stuff and would be a damn valuable addition to a pop-punkers' record collection. -Ewirezine
SING READY STEADY SMASH LP/CD- Close your eyes and it's 1977. The Gain play a great mix of mod-rock and punk. A lot of mod bands tend to be treble heavy, but the Gain haven't lost the bottom end, although it's not bottom heavy either. I have a feeling that this one will be living on my turntable for a while. -Punk Planet (harlo)
SING READY STEADY SMASH LP/CD- One word can best describe the release by the Gain: FUN. The three piece who hail from LA have a power pop punk sound that now a days seems to be missing in the underground scene. (at least bands who do it well) Musically these guys have their act together, with vocals that are raspy but blend well with the music. Lyrically the Gain tackles familiar topics such as love and post teenage angst, but with a fresh approach. This is one album that could be enjoyed by all despite what musical scene they most identify with (except for the straight edge faction). -Skratch (Jason Chittenden)
SING READY STEADY SMASH LP/CD- From the opening chords of this album, it's clear The Gain are onto a sound that's fresher and more inspiring than much of the poppy/punk material out there. The reason? For want of a better term, a bounce in the songwriting-imagine a happier-sounding Nirvana with a dedicated 60s pop influence. Rocking furiously with strong, stick in brain hooks and when they engage in outright thievery, it's still OK-the "Holiday in the Sun" nick for the bridge of "Frustrated" the similarity of "Song for Saturday" to Cheap Trick's "I want you to Want Me" turning down the distortion and going for pure Brit-pop. "What you give is What you Get," meanwhile is feisty Who/Jam hybrid. Once again, it comes down to memorable songs and The gain take their influences and update them with boisterous push. Ready Steady Go! -Suburban Voice
SING READY STEADY SMASH LP/CD- After four solid singles, here's their debut full length. Seems these lads have two types of songs; the hyper-catchy, chunky 60s brit-invasion inspired garage punk..maybe The Kinks on speed. The other type of song they perform is a sappier brand of pure pop which only rarely creeps into play and is generally obscured by the convulsion causing, predominant balls out rocking numbers. Dig it! -Gee-Zuz
SING READY STEADY SMASH LP/CD- Alas, a full length for me to get my grubby little paws on. And what a joyous venture of frolicking madness it is. They fucking rule! Wait, I'll be right back, I gotta change my shorts. O.K., sorry about that it's just so hard to contain myself sometimes. Catchy fast punk that keeps you on the edge of your lawnchair, to the very last tune. It's not super speed screaming' 90 to nothing punk. More of a catchy mod punk. You just gotta hear it and then you'll understand the addiction. -Annexx
SING READY STEADY SMASH LP/CD- Holy shit. This is punker than a senior citizen peeing on the side of a parked police cruiser while flipping off the Man as they tackle him to the ground. Surgically speaking, this does that it should. Break out the whale-filleting hooks, the ones that look like knitting needles as tall as basketball players. Lay out the dead and bloated corpse of too much music nowadays - turn on your radio station for a random sample (Kenny G. Whizs to the SmashingPumpkins Clone Alterna Hour) pull it by the ears through your speaker and tie that fucker down tight. Give its wrists and ankles rope burn. Cinch it down spread eagle until the hands and feet are damaged purple. Start punching until it's bones feel a little like putty. Don't want to bruise or dislocate your knuckles? Use a bat. Smack ftwhap Get it good and slimy, loose in it's own off color skin, the color of skin that never knew when to stop eating. I don't care what type of blade you use, just as long as it's sharp and your hand's steady. Slice from the base of the throat down past the belly button. Step aside as the organs spill. Make sure you're not wearing sandals or anything with open toes. Slickers or ponchos preferred. Get the whale hooks in, pull the torso apart, give it wings. Carve your way through the loose, fatty flesh of 98% commercial radio until you get to the spine. Get some Windex or any glass cleaning product, squirt it healthily on the newly exposed vertebrae and chords. Get a wooden stick, small and of high quality. Tap the spine. Bip bap the spine. Thrash on the spine. You hear that sound? If you amplify it, play it back quick honest and loud that's what The Gain sound like cutting through the human sludge passed off as rock 'n 'roll with suck glee and force, playing songs that are happy yet at the same time brutal and deep. Praise of the highest degree. Viva The Gain.-Flipside (Todd)
V/A BEET THE MEATLES 7"- This is a four song seven-inch featuring three G.I. Records bands covering Beatles' songs. The Decibels rocked it out by doing a very pop-punkish version of "Please Please Me," The Kindred amazed me with their Clash-like vocals in their cover of "I Want To Hold Your Hand," and The Gain pissed me off with their crappy vocals and cover selection as they covered both "Boys," and "She Said She Said." When I first heard The Gain, I thought that I had the record player on the wrong speed because it sounded so bad. This is an alright seven-inch and really good if you want to sample some of G.I. Records' mod/power pop bands.
HIGHWAY TO HECK 10" (live)- I really enjoyed this live recording of a show by the Gain in Las Vegas. According to Tom Deadbeat in the liner notes, this is pretty typical for them. If that's true, I'll be keeping an eye out for the Gain to come to town! Although I could have done without some bit of the banter in between, the 8 bouncy garage-punk songs on this record convey an energy and personality that I find missing in a lot of the music I've been hearing lately. -Chris F
The Gain • Crushstory split 7"- Boy! This is a lovely serving of pop perfection. "And so it goes" and "Jennifer Ann" are both fun and wonderful, and make this 7" worth seeking out. This is more refined than their earlier releases, yet the energy is directed in a song craft this go around. Solid stuff.