{"id":24999,"date":"2013-01-15T07:57:23","date_gmt":"2013-01-15T12:57:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=24999"},"modified":"2014-02-16T09:11:12","modified_gmt":"2014-02-16T14:11:12","slug":"static-fiction-ep-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/static-fiction-ep-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Static Fiction | Static Fiction<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Mark Allen<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"StaticAsk anyone familiar with Static Fiction what the band sounds like and the answer will almost always be, \u201cThey sound like Green Day.\u201d Fair enough, but the answer is as incomplete as an Oreo cookie with no cream in the middle. Because the answer should be, \u201cThey sound like Green Day\u2026 but BETTER.\u201d <\/p>\n

While their foundation is undeniably punk-rock, Static Fiction give their music a brisk boost by seamlessly infusing power-pop into the mix and crafting slick, energetic songs that are impossible to resist and elevate Static Fiction above most of their peers by at least a hair or two, maybe even the whole toupee. Seriously, if you can listen to the infectious hooks of a song like \u201cAshes\u201d and not feel compelled to move your body, you may want to check the news to see if the zombie apocalypse has begun, because you are clearly a walking cadaver.<\/p>\n

While comparisons to Green Day are as mandatory as castration should be for a pedophile, you could also name-drop bands like The Offspring, Sugarcult, Simple Plan, or pretty much any group that plays crunchy power pop\/punk. Granted, this stuff may have limited appeal to the hardcore headbangers, but that\u2019s not the band\u2019s target demographic. No, this EP is for those looking for a quick, fun-fueled rock \u2018n\u2019 roll adventure full of foot-tapping beats, head-bopping hooks, and a spirited energy that doesn\u2019t take itself too seriously.<\/p>\n

This being just a five-song EP, the band gets in, gets it done, and gets out without overstaying their welcome. If there is a negative, it\u2019s in the track order; Static Fiction open and close the EP with their worst songs (please note: \u201cworst\u201d should not be interpreted as \u201cbad,\u201d because there are no truly bad songs on here) and sandwich the really good stuff in between. \u201cAshes\u201d will kick your pulse into high gear and that lively gem is followed by \u201cStop and Look\u201d which is so overtly catchy that they should call it an MTD (Musically Transmitted Disease). The band then shows their humorous edge with \u201cGuano Love,\u201d which will be stuck in your head for days thanks to a great modern rock hook and tongue-in-cheek lyrics: \u201cI know you\u2019re walking out the door \/ We\u2019ve done this dance before \/ I\u2019m bat-shit crazy, it\u2019s true \/ I\u2019m bat-shit crazy for you.\u201d Pretty sure you won\u2019t be hearing Michael Bolton cover this song anytime soon\u2026<\/p>\n

From a sonic standpoint, the whole EP sounds superb; these guys might still be relegated to indie status, but you would never know it based on the production and engineering, because Static Fiction were smart enough to hire the big studio guns of punk-rock mega-producer Ryan Greene. The band locks together very well, all the pieces of the punk-rock puzzle fitting together snugly, with the drums in particular really standing out, packing the kind of punch that is often lacking in the genre. There are also some wicked tight harmonies that give the band a melodic vibe.<\/p>\n

This genre has its fair share of detractors, with many a hard rocker snubbing their nose and sneeringly insisting that a good punk-rock band is as fictitious as the creatures in a Dr. Seuss fable. But naysayers be damned, good punk\/power-pop bands do exist and you need look no further than Static Fiction for proof.<\/p>\n

Genre: Punk Rock, Power Pop<\/p>\n

Band:
\nPaul Lipinsky (vocals, guitar)
\nJustin Herter (guitar)
\nRyan Brown (bass)
\nJason Garrison (drums)<\/p>\n

Track Listing
\n1. Static Fiction
\n2. Ashes
\n3. Stop and Look
\n4. Guano Love
\n5. Good Times<\/p>\n

Webpage: www.facebook.com\/staticfiction<\/a><\/p>\n

Label: Independent <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 7.5\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Mark Allen – Senior Columnist — Ask anyone familiar with Static Fiction what the band sounds like and the answer will almost always be, \u201cThey sound like Green Day.\u201d Fair enough, but the answer […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8704],"tags":[336,3294,334],"class_list":{"0":"post-24999","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-arcrvws2013","7":"tag-cd","8":"tag-punk-rock","9":"tag-review"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24999"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24999\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}