Most elements of popular culture are tied
to specific moments in time. Just watch VH1 and you’ll
see how much people – especially those lacking the proper
context – enjoy laughing today at what was successful
yesterday. Quite frankly, much of it deserves derision. The
best entertainment – whether it’s music, movies,
TV or anything else – is timeless. When it comes to
music, particularly hard rock, the first band that springs
to mind for me is AC/DC. With the exception of a different
singer, there is little to distinguish the music they made
in 1975 from what they churned out in 1995 or at any other
stage of their career. And I mean that in a good way.
Buckcherry is another one of these timeless bands. When they
emerged in 1999, they didn’t care about rapping or nu-metal.
Today, they don’t give a damn about emo or metalcore.
It’s all about down and dirty rock n’ roll, plain
and simple. So it was only a matter of time following the
band’s dissolution five years ago that founding members
Josh Todd (vocals) and Keith Nelson (guitar) found three more
like-minded individuals to resurrect the Buckcherry name.
The resulting album, 15, named for the number of
days it took to record, is exactly what you would expect from
Buckcherry. The opener, “So Far,” is a celebration
of the music, the lifestyle, everything that comes with being
in a rock band. “I didn’t do it for money, I did
it all for free/I did it all to fill the fucking hole inside
of me,” Todd sings. The catchy hook of “Next 2
You” virtually guarantees you’ll hear it on the
radio in no time. “Out of Line” almost sounds
like it could be an outtake from the next AC/DC album –
and that’s a compliment. The strings may be out of place,
but the ballad “Sorry” will have you reaching
for a lighter as it closes the first part of the album.
The infectious first single “Crazy Bitch,” the
band’s most memorable song since they broke onto the
scene with “Lit Up,” proves to be 15’s
high point. The good news is that the tracks that follow it
are better than those that precede it. No ballads here, just
straight-up rock n’ roll tunes. In fact, the acoustic
“Brooklyn” is one of the most rockin’ songs
on the entire disc.
It’s doubtful anything on 15 will stay with
you as long as the “I love the cocaine” refrain
of “Lit Up.” But that’s an awfully high
standard for any band, so don’t hold that against them.
We need bands like Buckcherry who understand what rock n’
roll is all about. Their music may seem simple, but a surprisingly
few number of bands can pull it off this well. |
