Search - Pulses :: Pulses

BETTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE THAT PURPORTS TO "ROCK" RIGHT NOW

Artie Fisk | New Paltz, NY, USA | 07/01/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"These Seattle cats have NOTHING whatsoever to do with any "scene." Forget what you know, or think you know about "genre." The Pulses are so swell and so unlike ANYTHING you've heard before that even the most ironically-inclined, pop-culture vultures who reference faster than they tire of new genres won't know what to say except, maybe, for once in their lives: "Whoa. This is really cool. Who are these guys?"
Yes, ladies and gentlemens, The Pulses are THE REAL THING, maybe the only music that's even close right now.
Don't worry about what genre they are. If you dig short (15 songs in just over 28 minutes!!!), punchy, sonically-interesting songs with the seeming impossibility of balls-out rocking balanced by subtle texture and emotional directness, then THIS IS FOR YOU, BABY!
These guys don't separate themselves from you with ironic distance. The lyrics are fantastic for that, and for their originality. Favorites include (but are not limited to): "Pacemaker" (track 3), a pop song that somehow alternates between wonder, menace, and genuine happiness. The verses slide around the mystery of medicine while the choruses dance with a full-on joy buzz. Make no mistake: THE PULSES ARE NOT HIPPIES!!!"You're Still Young" (track 6), which blows my mind for its directness and its musical invention, and for its devastating lyric that Ray Davies would have been quite proud to have authored."Metal Man" (track 12), which gets very spacey while keeping things under 2 minutes. These guys know what restraint means. A little can go a long way, and these cats are well aware of it. The Pulses are not a "punk rock" group, nor are they "indie," nor "post-punk" (although some would claim this...The Pulses are too honest for that sort of posturing), nor are they anything else that fits into a neat little bow-tied sentence.
They rock, convincingly.
They are masters of the original, sonically unique, under-three-minute pop-rock song.
They have tremendous integrity and take great care. These are no slack ..., sloppy DIY noisesters.
We should judge all our musical choices by these criteria.
They should be your next favorite band.
Buy this disc, and then don't make a copy for your friend. Make your friend buy it, too.
Jesse Steinchen, David Ramm and Shannon McConnell are The Pulses, and they've made my favorite CD of the last couple of years."

THE CHALLENGER RATES

N. E. Parker | Seattle | 01/15/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"super totally awesome, i almost want to make up my own word for how great it is- you should buy this album, Now! even their other album, i have completely turned into a pulses fan, thanks dudes."

This just plain rocks!!!

Artie Fisk | New Paltz, NY, USA | 07/30/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well, someone finally went and made an intelligent, poppy, rocked-out record with lots of cool sounds on it.
These guys are way better, IMHO, than most of the other stuff on their label, Dirtnap. Don't get me wrong, there are other OK bands on that label, but this stuff is really very original, even the song that begins with the Sex Pistols riff.
Any band that they can make you upset that the record is over before you want it to be gets my vote. If you want more than these 15 songs, it's worth seeking out their non-CD tune "Stuck" on the "Dirtnap Across the Northwest" comp--it's as good as anything here, and by far the most interesting thing on that compilation.
So don't be put off thinking that they're a punk band, 'cause they ain't one of those.
Good stuff, and I really can't compare it to anything else, and in a 2003 dominated by the kind of angsty, washed-out b.s. that passes for "rock and roll," this stuff is a welcome breath of fresh and hopped-up air."