Rye Coaltion has played Fugazi-esque Math Punk meets AC/DC Guitar Stomp for ten years and four LPs, and played it pretty well. On Curses the band falls under Grohl's production spell, tightening rhythms and racing them to the brink, doubling guitars and harmonizing shredded vocals. Where previous Coaltion material sounded gutsy, loud, and raw Curses sounds gutsy, loud, and polished to a woozy custom bass-boat glitter. It's a bigger, sexier sound, and it's a lot of fun, but like the acid washed jeans it came in, it wears thin.
"Clutch the Pearls" is a blatent '80s era Van Halen rip-off that manages to both revere and ridicule Eddie and co., and the album openers "Pussyfootin" and "Burn the Masters" offer real highlights for those about to rock. In the end it's metal-lite guitar worship that seems to prove, more than anything, that Dave Grohl is on a crusade to make Rrrock bands of us all.
