R u tired of mainstream rock like what they play on MTV and at the mall? Soulless soundtracks to mindless consumption of Orange Julius, name brand sneakers and the latest arcade game? If so u might want 2 check out Alternative Rock, the new album by the Blackburns on Sell the Heart Records and Discount Cemetery. On their self-titled debut album, the Blackburns wrote about what they knew: DIY shows at the local legion hall, stoop hangs, fights at the rec center, and ending up in Los Angeles without a car. On their new album they are back with more of the same: songs about retail management, missing video store employees, and parties at rich kids’ houses. Seems like nothing ever really changes for the Blackburns, but the hooks are catchier than ever, and definitely not for jocks, posers, or your annoying kid sister.
Not everyone agrees. Some critics have even argued that none of this is real. They say that in actual fact it is the year 2026 and the Delaware Valley-based Blackburns are really just a group of washed up middle aged punks who, unable to cope with the madness of the 2020s, have dissociated their way into an eternal twilight of 1990s musical and cultural references. Drawing on memories of their former bands–bands like Plow United, Wax Wav, and the Danger O’s–they have constructed a netherworld where summer temperatures rarely hit 100 degrees, politics is boring, and the internet is only for nerds. A world where life happens in movie theater parking lots or at 3am in a booth at Denny’s.
Locked away in padded rooms, or sedated and hooked up to strange machines that monitor brain activity, the Blackburns imagine themselves to have written another great record full of instant Buzz Bin classics. In their dreams, they are planning to hit the road in support of Alternative Rock. Hey, it’s late spring, and gas is only $1.03 a gallon. Why not? You’re only young once. Or forever.
Side A:
- New Music
- Video Den (VHS Version)
- ASM KoP
- Chances on Love
- Ceteris Paribus
- Two People Running in the Rain
Side B:
- Something of Value
- Hate the Weekend
- Thousands of Doves
- A Reunion Show (Rated PG-13)
- Alternative Rock
The Blackburns are:
- Abraham Koffenberger - guitar, vocals
- Joel Tannenbaum - vocals, bass
- Lynna Stancato - vocals, keyboards
- Nick Palmer - vocals, guitars, drums
With a little help from:
- Recorded and mixed by Todd Mecaughey at Cambridge Sound Studios
- Produced by Nick Palmer and Todd Mecaughey
- Mastered by Mike Bardzik at Noisy Little Critter
More Details:
All songs by Nick Palmer and Joel Tannenbaum (BMI)
Special thanks to the Blackburns’ live drummer Justin Johnson
Cassettes are Limited to 50 Pieces, Hand Numbered