Conshafter - Fear the Underdog

	Conshafter - Fear the Underdog
	Location	Virginia
	Initial Impression	The accompanying press release makes a rather grand pronouncement, stating, "50 years of rock Darwinism has produced an alpha male" (i.e., Conshafter), and later likens the four-piece's live show to "vintage Stones and MC5."
Notable Lyric	"I know it's sort of kind of lame/All these stupid love songs they sound the same/I know it sounds typical/Stupid, dumb, and elliptical."
Factoid	These guys are all about the D.I.Y. ethic, as Fear the Underdog was self-produced/recorded/released.
Serve With	A mental frame of "expect the unexpected."
Comments	Conshafter offer up some quality rock with an inherent pop sensibility. Their compositions span the rock gamut, as they throw in some hard rockers like the intriguingly-titled "Heavy Metal Parking Lot", and just as easily whip out mellow acoustic fare in the form of tracks like "Springville" and "Serotonin" or poppy upbeat numbers a la "Lovesong Hypocritical" and "Porn Star Mustache". And then there's the unusual slow drum-machine/hip-hop-like groove-laden melancholic composition, "Autopilot" - and despite this strange description, it's a highly affecting song... Ooh! And don't forget to check out the rather Queers-esque "Joey Ramone", which out of nowhere morphs into a sweet and light acoustic ballad around the two-minute mark, just to once more pick up the pace later on, ending with approppriate gang-vocal shouts of "Gabba gabba hey!" (da bruddas' signature). Basically, it's hard to get bored while listening to Conshafter: they mix up styles, tempos, and tones well, making for quite an enjoyable listening experience.
URL	www.conshafter.com
Reviewer	Janelle (05/04)