The Hyperjax - The Wildest Card

Artist: The Hyperjax

Album: The Wildest Card

Label: Cherry Bomb Recordings

The first thought that crossed my mind when I heard The Hyperjax was "my, these vocals are different."  I wasn't really sure what to think.  Imagine a psychobilly band fronted by Millencolin's frontman Nikola Sarcevic and you'll have a pretty good idea of what to expect - over-pronounced words with a slightly goofy overtone.  Lead vocalist Sam Woods almost sounds like that goofy voice from The Offspring's classic opener "Disclaimer," or in a more reasonable comparison, a less sloppy version of Frank Cassila of the Voodoo Glow Skulls.  In any case, his vocals are an acquired taste that will either attract or repulse most listeners - there's really no middle ground here.

Those that look past the "unconventional" vocals will find a fairly diverse range of punkabilly tunes in The Hyperjax latest album, The Wildest Card.  The album starts off with a few really infectious toe tappers including the title track, "Madam Butterfly," and "No Expectations," all defined by a speedy upright double bass and some well placed guitar solos.  But six songs in comes the album's real gem, "Beggar's Belief."  Instrumentally there's room for comparison to the late Gutter Demons.  The upright double bass echos hypnotically, and the guitar riffs quiver with a haunting amount of distortion.  Its a great sound that many strive for, but that few psychobilly bands achieve.  After this high point the album retains interest by shifting between genre-related styles.  "Main Spirit Weind" offers a pseudo-acoustic vibe, while "Talkin' New York City" provides an uplifting rockabilly toe-tapper.  Others like "So I Hold On" and "Henry Chinaski" provide a welcome dose of old-school rock'n roll rhythms.  The final two tracks return The Hyperjax to their punkabilly core, reminding the listener of exactly where these boys' musical loyalties rest.  

The band matches Sam Woods' goofy voice with some fairly comical lyrics.  For example, beggar's belief includes a story about a homeless man who has "never done a full days work 'cause he's an anarchist/complains about the government but reaps its benefits."  Unfortunately, Woods' wacky voice renders many parts of songs partially indecipherable - a disappointing reality since The Hyperjax steer clear of cliched psychobilly content.

If you can get past the odd vocals there's a lot to like here.  Fun lyrics, bouncy beats, and a nice survey of related genres should give The Wildest Card a lot of re-playability.