Pulley raises punk politics

Noteworthy CD review

Courtesy of ANDREW COPLON Punk rock band Pulley released "Matters," an energetic album that combines harmonious songs with political questions.

This spring, step up to bat against a lineup of melodic creations. Epitaph Records scores a winner with Pulley's newest release, "Matters." Twelve vocally driven pop songs laced with addictive guitar riffs and fast-moving beats will prove to be a musical grand slam.

The band's members — who were formerly in the bands Face To Face, Strung Out and Ten Foot Pole — bring an easygoing attitude to the arena of punk rock. The band possesses a style reminiscent of NOFX and Bad Religion.

In a March 25 interview with the online music magazine Truth Explosion, lead singer Scott Radinsky summarized its style, saying, "The truth about Pulley is that we're working class guys that jump in a van, drive around the world hoping to break even, playing punk rock while taking a free vacation."

The band members' lives reflect their lax attitudes. Lead singer Scott Radinsky is a former relief pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers and now spends his time running a skate park in Simi Valley, Calif., called The Skate Lab. Guitarist Mike Harder is a certified aircraft mechanic and an avid surfer. Drummer Tony Palermo is in charge of the lighting at Los Angeles' Troubador, a concert venue and bassist Tyler Rebbe is an automotive mechanic.

"A Bad Reputation" is arguably the catchiest selection on "Matters" as a result of standout guitar riffs and sing-along vocals. Radinsky sings about resolving problems: "There is no moral to my story/ I hit him first and stole his glory which was worse I guess/ That's just what worked for me."

The opening guitar riffs in both Spitalfield's "Five Days and Counting" and Bad Religion's "American Jesus," combine to sound like Pulley's "Insects Destroy." This track questions authority in American society. The lyrics state: "The stones I throw for a man on a pedestal" as driving drums and melodic guitar riffs smoothly finish off a song of political distaste.

"Immune" is a double track containing two songs. The first selection revolves around a distorted aspect of the song's vocals and a pop-sounding chorus line that proclaims, "Every day that you're away, don't know how we make it through." Three minutes through the song, Pulley performs an entertaining cover of the theme song from the '90s television show "Land of the Lost."

The band's harmonious sound has remained constant, even eight years after it released its first album, "Esteem Driven Engine," as a band. Any fan of the rock music genre will appreciate the latest release from a band who puts music before money.