Album Review: Good With Grenades – FBGM
Good With Grenades (myspace.com/goodwithgrenades) are a power-pop band from Arizona that will make you dance and smile with their infectious jams. Their new EP, FBGM, was released on iTunes on August 10th. Check out what our girls had to say about the album:
Envy says: From the moment Etti sent me the EP I have not been able to stop listening to it. Its soo catchy and fun! I can see these boys getting very popular off this album. From the first few beats of “Criminal Display Of Affection” you just know its gonna make you dance. My personal favorite off the EP would have to be “Bruises And Bitemarks (remix)” with “Pop, Lock And Drop Dead” coming in as a close second. Honestly, the whole album is awesome. I can leave the 6 tracks on repeat all day and not get sick of it. The beautiful vocals, perfect medeley of guitars and keyboards and beats.. yea, this is definitely going to be my album for the summer. I can’t wait for their East Coast tour this Fall/Winter, its gonna be a blast!
Shanthrax says: I hold a special place in my heart for dark music (I like to color coordinate with my soul) so Good With Grenades is a little TOO poppy for MY taste. However, if you’re into that sorta thing, they’re rad! They have clever lyrics and fun beats. I’m really diggin’ the song “Pop, Lock And Drop Dead” because it reminds me of being at a carnival… I mean, if one of the sexy bitch carnis was trying to “give it to you”!
Stefani says: Recently it seems like a war has been waged against pop music on behalf of the alternative rock scene. People are throwing out criticism against the use of auto-tune, synthesizers, and other programming which have become necessities to the contemporary pop-rock scene. Unfortunately, I feel like Good with Grenades’ EP makes it hard for most pop-loving fans to get behind the music’s defense. I am possibly the queen of party-pop mixes. I’ll dance around my room, singing into my hair brush for hours to a good techno pop beat, but this EP kept my synthesized heart from beating. Now I won’t go out and declare the EP is crap, it is not. I see a valiant effort in these songs; however, the sound is too generic.. With every band out there throwing in the same instruments and using the same computer programming, something has to stand out. On this EP, that “something” was “nothing.” I can only describe the CD as the illegitimate love-child of a retired 80s pop-band and AFI because, for some unknown reason, the whole time I was listening to the songs, “Girls not Grey” and “Love Like Winter” kept wandering into my head. The lyrics are a bit raunchy, which I fully enjoy, but the music leaves more to be desired. I do not feel like there is any pivotal moment in the songs or in the lyrics. With that criticism out of the way, I will go out and say should someone want to sample a song from the EP, I would suggest the legal downloading/purchase of “Criminal Display of Affection.” It was the first song I heard and thought, “Okay, not so bad.” As I’m listening to it now, I think I can put my finger on the problem… it’s the drums. I think more emphasis needs to be but on the drums. A little more punctuation to the beats, n’est pas? I say the Good With Grenades EP was a bomb (pun full intended); however, should one find their ears wandering upon the musical styling of this EP, they will not bleed as the music is not bad, it is simply not catchy enough for the saturated, techno-pop market.
Ashley says: Good with Grenades never fails to get my head bopping. With catchy beats and lyrics you can easily find yourself singing along with, these boys really have something going. Nowadays it’s surprising to hear new stuff without Auto Tune used every five seconds; Good with Grenades brings things back to reality and prove that they have some real talent. In some ways they remind me of the band Ludo but add more pop and dance to the mix. They also have a quirk to them that makes them worth the second glance. “Criminal Display Of Affection” is my favorite track and it’s quickly catching on with my friends.
Meagen says: I really fell in love with this album on the 1st downbeat, being an Emo kid never seemed so much fun as when jamming out to this cd, with sounds that are very similar to Good Charlotte, Panic! At the Disco, Cobra Starship, and Boys Like Girls, Good With Grenades make saying what you have to do to seal the deal seem oh so attractive haha. I am not going to lie I was totally jamming to this on my way to work at 6:30am and if anyone would have looked over at me driving probably would have thought I am crazy because I was dancing like it was my job. Ok now let me breakdown some of my fav quotes from each song just to show a bit of what this album is about. With “Criminal Display Of Affection”, this song is very upbeat but I also think every girl needs to listen to this song even if it’s just for the one part of the song which happens to be my fav “You spread your legs now I’ll spread the news” I also like “keep it cool, girl you need to learn rules”. “Memories” is my favorite song on the whole album, not gonna lie I play it over and over sometimes. It has a real good feel good vibe to it. I like the lines “Your thighs are shaking unhysterical”, “set your values and self respect aside, let’s make memories tonight”. As for “Pop Lock And Drop Dead”, this song reminds me of a perfect cross between a Panic! At the Disco song and Cobra Starship song. This song will make you want to “shimmy shimmy shake” and snap your fingers. “Bruises And Bitemarks” is prob a very close 2nd choice for my fav track on the album, again it reminds me of Panic! and Cobra. In “Swandive”, with lines like “Another drink won’t hurt me I have some time to kill” and “save your breath for the hospital I’ve pulled the plug and I’m out” this song just blends so well with the rest of the cd. Closing out with “Outlaw, which has that GC vibe that so many people love and hate at the same time, the one that makes you move and you don’t know why. I told my friend that this the booty call anthem haha, my fav line is “C’mon baby girl use all your moves like you do when we make love, I know it sounds bad but I want you bad, bad, BAD” This CD is deff worth the money, it will get your spirits up and make you jam out, I promise you won’t regret buying it even if you only use it as your dirty pleasure lol.
