Photo by Katie Hovland
Jump Start/Bermuda Mohawk Productions – Release Date: 8/23/11
What with the pedigree of the members of newish Chicago band All Eyes West, (Jeff Dean has done time with The Bomb and Justin Miller with indie rockers Hinter) one would be hard-pressed to come into the listening experience without some manner of expectations. Thankfully, the band does not disappoint. All Eyes West serve up eight songs of Foo Fighters-inspired rock on their excellent debut disc, along with nods to bands like Drive Like Jehu and Jawbox for good measure. The songs are impassioned, melodic, driving, mid-tempo anthems that seem like they would translate very well in a small, sweaty club environment. The recording is clean, but not overproduced, (Dean handled the recording and mixing duties himself at Million Yen Studios) and suits the material well. My favorite track is “Help Is on the Way”, (you can check it out below) which features some classic guitar work along with interesting tempo changes and the best example of Justin Miller’s Dave Grohl-inspired vocals. All in all, All Eyes West’s debut is recommended as a good purchase for anyone hungry for melodic ‘90s punk done up right. My only complaint has to do with the CD packaging. The band photos were taken by the awesome Katie Hovland and are way, way too small. But that’s just a small quibble in an otherwise great package. All Eyes West play Metro on August 27th, with reuniting local legends Braid.
– Marc Ruvolo
[audio:http://www.jadedinchicago.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Help-Is-On-The-Way.mp3,|titles=Help Is On The Way]
