Public Access
Fleeced

Public Access, a five-piece punk / ska / hardcore outfit from New York, contacted me to have their disc reviewed, and not one week later, I had a copy of Fleeced in my grubby paws. This 6 track EP, a short yet bustling and driven release, is comprised of tracks that never exceed 3 minutes in length. This was definitely to my advantage, as I couldn’t form a concrete opinion the first and even the tenth time I listened to it. All I can say is that Fleeced grew on me, and that it only took me a long time to form an opinion because it’s old yet new, familiar yet innovative. That’s what makes this release unique and appealing, regardless of genre bias.

“Hit Single” was the first track I had ever heard by Public Access – a tune that kicks off with feedback and hi hat into an old school punk verse, complete with raspy vocals and plenty of distortion. I was happy to see that the insert in the CD had lyrics, or else I’d be missing an entire aspect of the band – their witty and opinionated lyrics, which really jive with the old school punk feel. The choruses are sung and have some pretty nice harmonies, and are followed by a ska section featuring the sax harmonies of Chris and Matt, the band’s two piece melodic drive. The track runs to completion with this duality – an atonal style accompanied by very nice harmonious aspects. In terms of recording quality, I think some of the vocals are mixed a little low and the scare drum resonates a little too much, but overall the mixing is very nice for a local band’s demo. “Piss On Pity” is up next, which is a very danceable third-wave tune until it reaches half-time punk choruses. My favorite sax melody on the entire demo is in this tune, which is harmonized and played very well, but mixed a little low. The climax of the song is reached with a two-part trade off in the vocals and a bari sax part that adds to the energy very well. This track and the next, “God Save the Scene,” both throw in some more hardcore aspects in the vocals, but are utilized very well with other sung vocal parts, using three different vocalists. Sometimes these vocals pick melodies that don’t completely mesh with the music, but the band throws in more melodic attributes with a guitar solo and horn parts. “Another Day in Paradise” starts at a reggae tempo with sax melodies, flowing vocals, and a very well-blended rhythm section. The chorus kind of breaks this nice groove with screamed vocals and distortion. I like how Public Access ventures into a lot of different styles and beats, but I don’t think that every song needs to be as eclectic. I definitely dig the sax solos thrown into this tune, which are again superbly played. “Dead Sexy” is my favorite tune on the disc, featuring excellently sung vocal parts that collaborate for nice harmonies, and blend very well into the sax hook. This song doesn’t utilize the screamed vocal style but instead stays consistently melodic, which is a nice change of pace. A guitar solo is contributed by “some kid that Chris knows named Justin” according to the CD booklet, adding to the harmonious flow of the tune. “Algernon” wraps up the disc with expertly played double-time punk by the band’s drummer, Derek, and sax melodies that I’ve come to expect and love. Perfect backing vocals and noteworthy transitions from punk to ska make this tune stand out and conclude the disc very well.

Even though I wouldn’t normally enjoy a release with the amount of harsh vocals that Fleeced has, Public Access makes their style more than palatable, mixing in harmonic attributes left and right and doing so very smoothly in the majority of instances. Musically, the band nails what they’re aiming for, it’s just a question of mixing and preference that makes this disc exactly what you’re looking for or something you can appreciate, but not love. In either case, Public Access has put out a disc that should make them plenty of waves, and if the style sounds appealing, I would definitely recommend checking out the band’s MySpace and picking up Fleeced on Public Access’ store, located on their website.

Reviewed By:  Todd Springer

Date:  Sat 2 Sep 06

Score:  7.0

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