ProRawk Records – 28 Oct 2022
Milan, Italy's The Crooks deliver a sunny blast of fun on their new LP.
My knowledge of Italian punk is not very deep. I saw Guida once. I know The Manges a little better. I saw them live once and have a couple of their albums. The Italian group I know the best is another long-running Ramones-core band, Latte+. The Empoli trio's last few albums have been in English, and the last couple have been on American label ProRawk Records. The Crooks' guitarist produces Latte+'s albums. Now The Crooks have joined them on Chicago/Jersey based ProRawk Records.
The Milan quartet has been around since 1997, and has released a handful of full lengths and a couple of singles. It turns out the three Italian bands I previously mentioned are a pretty good reference point. Mediacracy is a concept record, but don't let that scare you away. I wouldn't have known if I wasn't told. The individual songs tell a bigger story, but they still stand on their own. The only clue to the potential *pretentiousness of Mediacracy is that there is almost no pause between the tracks.
*All concept records are pretentious by their very nature. That doesn't mean they can't be good. As a matter of fact when they work, they give you extra appreciation for the skill of the artist. On the rare occasion that they're really good, they elevate rock and roll as an art form. (The fact that music criticism is also pretentious by its very nature is not lost on me.)
After a brief, lo-fi acoustic intro, we get two of the best songs on the album. “I Know” and “In the Air” are an undeniably catchy one-two punch. “Bad Boys” has a strong New York Dolls vibe, and features the vocal stylings of Detroit glam punk legend Ricky Rat. (Solo artist and guitarist of the underrated Trash Brats.) Soundwise, The Crooks are somewhere between pop punk and power pop. There's also a little bit of Ramones-core and a little bit of sleazy ‘70s glam rock. The lead vocals are clean, and there are some tasty harmonies and guitar licks.
Other highlights include “Rise It Up”, “Remedy” and rambunctious closer “Jump In”. “Apophenia” is also noteworthy, if for no other reason than it forced me to learn something. (apophenia [noun] – the tendency to perceive a connection or meaningful pattern between unrelated random things such as objects or ideas.) It's a spelling bee word, but it's also a damn fine song. I didn't have the lyrics, so I wasn't really able to follow the bigger story. That didn't stop Mediacracy from being an enjoyable listening experience.
The weather is starting to turn frigid in Chicago and Jersey, but The Crooks have delivered a record full of sunny, upbeat, summer vibes. Mediacracy might be the soundtrack we need to ride out another brutal winter. Give The Crooks a listen. The only thing they're likely to steal is your cold heart.
For vinyl fiends: The American version, available through ProRawk Records is on cobalt blue wax. The ProRawk site will also direct you to Euro distribution to avoid those insane international shipping rates.
Part-time punk writer, suburban dad and angry old man. Follow my adventures on the Punk Till I Die podcast!
