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Recording:
  Pay Up Sucker  
 
Artist:
  The Cogburns  
 
Label:
  Be Particular Records  
 
Release Date:
  14.October.2005  
 
Reviewed by:
  Indoor Miner  
         
 
Rating:
   
         
 
Review:
 

Atlanta's The Cogburns specialize in an uncomplicated form of rock, and with their heavy riffs, straight 4/4 beats, and their dumb-ass girl/world rhymes, they come across like some sort of fun version of The Stooges. But whilst there's nothing on Pay Up Sucker to compete with the excellent two chord glam stomp that was Over You (a track that still gets a regular airing in the EvilSponge Indoor Mine) from their Bob EP, once again there's plenty to be enjoyed on a Cogburns release, as long as you don't take things too seriously that is.

Pay Up Sucker doesn't get to the best of starts though as opening track Bending Knees possibly veers a little too close to some hard rock world for my liking. It does, however, just manage to stay just on the right side of the line thanks to that thumping, non-pondering beat. Things soon get better though with The Damned-like riffing of If You Want To Be My Girl, the early Beatles-ish Little Castaway, and My My Lola (which opens with a You Really Got Me type riff, and sounds not unlike New York's The Bosch on last year's no-nonsense Buy One Get One album).

The pick of the lot though is Spooky Song, which, despite its terrible title, is a great track with a Nuggets like feel and a snaky sounding guitar riff that brings to mind Tom Verlaine and the Bunnymen's Will Sergeant. Ultimately, thought, it is reminiscent of the Teardrop Explodes' 1981 classic Wilder album track Like Leila Khaled Says. Pay Up Sucker doesn't peter out here though. Nagging is another with something of a Nuggets feel and features a, er, nagging chorus, whilst Rollers Rip, which sounds like Neat Neat Neat played by some 60's garage band (with a great beat to boot), runs Spooky Song close for the best track on the album.

You Want It, You Got It follows and is another track that sounds influenced by early The Damned, whilst She Don't Mind is a catchy little number that has moments where it reminds me of The Monkees. Pay Up Sucker ends on a high with You Don't Know What I Know, which has one of the best riffs on show here, together with a stomping beat and a chorus memorable enough to have my eight year old singing along before we were halfway through it.

So another success for The Cogburns then. And although Pay Up Sucker isn't going to change your life anymore than their Bob EP, it sure is a lot of fun.

 
         
 
Related Links:
 

Label MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/beparticular
Band Site: http://www.cogburns.com/
Gotta have the MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/thecogburns
On EvilSponge: Bob, an EP previous to this release.

 
         

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