INDIE MUSIC DIGEST - Independent Music Reviews

CD REVIEW: Juice Bomb - It Be a Demo

By: Zach Kiley

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Artist: Juice Bomb
Album: "It Be A Demo"
Label: Independent Artist
Website: www.myspace.com/juicebomb
Genre: Rock
Sounds Like: Red Hot Chile Peppers, Sublime
Technical Grade: 5/10
Production/Musicianship Grade: 7/10
Commercial Value: 6/10
Overall Talent Level: 8/10
Songwriting Skills: 8/10
Performance Skill: 9/10
Best Songs: Disco Crazy, Okay
Strenghts: Lyrics, Song Catchiness

Weakness: Mix and CD packaging

CD REVIEW:

3 piece Chicago based band Juicebomb releases their demo called "t Be a Demo". Coming in at just under 19 minutes the EP delivers 5 strong tracks to the table, each less than 5 minutes with the shortest track, "My Peoples" at 2:57. They have a MySpace and Facebook setup, with 84 friends & 48 followers respectively

Think of this CD as a diamond in the rough. The packaging is a picture of the band taped to a slim-style jewel case & the track listing taped to the back of the band picture (which by the way, it the 3 of them hanging out at a bar). I was skeptical before listening just based solely on the packaging, but that changes with the first note of the first song. It starts out with "Disco Crazy", a disco-inspired rock song (think BeeGee's meets Red Hot Chili Peppers). All kidding aside, this song is extremely catchy - the kind of song I found myself humming well after I finished a listen-though of the CD. The vocals immediately take a presence over the guitar, bass and drums & drive the overall tonality of the CD. Tracks 2, 3 and 4 quickly find a home inside of the same kind of sound, with track 3 standing out as a little more "edgy" if you will. Juicebomb has clearly taken a philosophy of Simple is Better, with the guitar & drums not very complex but solid enough to provide enough drive for the vocals to flow over. Some people criticize simple music, saying it lacks "depth" or "character" but their unique sound quickly dissipates that notion. Every song, but more prominently in tracks 1 and 5, is catchy & solid in relation to composition and flow.

The first major flaw is definitely the packaging. It looks like it was made by a 9th grader in high school. With online sites like CDbaby and Discmakers, they have made professional packaging available to everyone and should be utilized. Also, on the same vein, the CD lacks a Mastered sound to it. Although the mix was OK, there are definitely times where the dynamics lacked & just the vocals were prominent, drowning out the guitar and drum sound. Also, both those sites mentioned offering mastering services for a price.

Overall the music is solid, catchy & sure to make the local clubs and bar clamor for more. There fun and not taken to serious style has great potential & with more careful attention to packaging & final sound, Juicebomb can quickly become something that you will constantly hear requested on the radio. If you're looking for a new take on todays traditional rock sound, you'll be hard pressed to find a better alternative.

Zach Kiley