Review #221: School Jerks - Control 7" (2011)

CONTROL (EP)

Year: 2011
Genre: Hardcore Punk
Label: Cowabunga Records
Tracks: 6
Length: 5 Minutes
My Rating: 6/8

The School Jerks are one of the coolest, most legit bands outta Toronto hardcore. They've got that razor-blade guitar attack and drunk, Darby Crash-like vocals that sound about as punk rock as you can get... this is the brand new E.P. from the band, featuring six new songs, and it's cooler than ever. Anyways, yeah, you know what to expect... the only main thing I'd point out is that their songs are actually getting shorter! Only one of the songs on the record is over a minute long.

1. Screamer
Nice riff... Luke's (the singer) vocals actually sound kinda clean in the very beginning. Fast, furious, sweet-o!

2. Control
I like the guitar riff for this one a lot... the beat is a little slower, but awesome. This one's really short.

3. Ready to Die
This one reminds me of early Black Flag... I dunno if it's more in the guitar riff or the drum beat. Anyways, it's pretty awesome. I like the chords played in the part of the song starting at around 38 seconds. End of Side A.

4. Ugly Minds, Ugly Faces
YOUUU'VE GOT AN UGLLLYYYY MINNND, ANNND AN UGLLLYYY FACCEEE... by the way, those aren't the lyrics to the song. The verse part is really thrashy and fast. The chorus is half the speed, but just as violent! This band's got awesome drumming. At the very end, the beat continues to slow down until it's over.

5. Moral Addiction
I'M ADDICTED TO NOT DOING DRUGS AND NOT KILLING PEOPLE AND STUFF. This one's also pretty fast. The guitar riff is nice and reminds me of early Black Flag or Off! (get their album if you haven't already)

6. 4-F
This song's a minute and a half long, making it the "long" song of the EP. Once again (hate to keep bringing them into this), there's a Black Flag-type of dynamic going on here, mainly in the rhythm. Great guitar riffs, neat song. That's all there is.

So, I definitely say that this EP rocks, just as hard as the last two records the band has put out! They keep putting out great guitar riffs, hard songs, great fucked-up singing, it's all really good... simple but sturdy. If you haven't listened to this band yet and you consider yerself a "punk", then I think you're going to love this, because THE SCHOOL JERKS HAVE JUST GOT THE GOOD SONGS, Y'KNOWWHATI'MSAYINGTODAYING? (also, the back of the EP cover sheet has the lyrics to "Ugly Minds, Ugly Faces" on it)

Top 3 Favorites:
1. Control
2. Ready to Die
3. 4-F

Review #123: School Jerks - Demo (EP) (2008)

SCHOOL JERKS DEMO (EP)

Year: 2008

Genre: Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Hardcore
Label: None
Tracks: 5
Length: 5 Minutes
Style: Angry
My Rating: 5/8

School Jerks is a band from Toronto blah blah blah formed in 2008 blah blah yadda yadda they're one of my favorite new hardcore bands yukka yukka wakka wakka hulla hulla blah blah jibber jabber jibbery jabbery jibbery jabber... blerh blerh blegh bleck ooga booga duhduuughh duhuhuhuhuhud duhd djfgfhghgfhgfhfghgfhfghgfhfghfghhfjhgjhgjhjhgjghjhgjhg FUCK, YEAH, THIS WAS THEIR DEMO TAPE BEFORE THEY RELEASED ANY RECORDS HURRDA HURRDA FYCJ AHGFHDGFDHGDFHDF...


1. Rock n' Roll, Part III
What ever happened to parts I & II, I do not currently know. Maybe I'll never know. Mid-tempo song with angry vocals that sound like the early Henry Rollins. It's alright, but there's better on here. "Just gimme a dollar... JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!!"

2. Guestlist
This song was later re-recorded for their new EP. Atonal bumpy intro that transforms into another fast song. Very intense vocals and a good sounding guitar, though I do think that it all sounds better on the later version.

3. Make it Blank
This one has a pretty good riff. The guitar sounds like a chainsaw. Thrashing, trashing, and angry.

4. High School
The fastest and shortest song on the tape. "HIGH SCHOOL!", yells Ivan. I can't really understand the rest of the lyrics so I don't know.

5. Problems
Fast, but not as fast as "high school". The guitar is good and it plays a very cool riff. Ivan still sounds like Henry Rollins. I'm pretty sure that this is the longest song on the tape. And th-th-that's all, folks.

I feel like shit today. I bought a CD and it wouldn't even work. My best friend won't stop being so damn depressing all the time and starting drama over everything. It seems like the world is slowly turning into Hell with everything I read, nobody wants to hire kids, it's hot as fuck outside, I can never feel excited about anything anymore, and I fucking hate it. So yeah, I got that off of my chest. I'm pissed. But thanks for reading and shit if you read this far. Hope you liked my review. I know, it was kind of half-assed, but that's how I'm feeling today, so that's what y'all get for now. I hope I feel better soon. Until then, seeya later.

Review #92: School Jerks - Decline (EP) (2010)

DECLINE (EP)

Year: 2010

Genre: Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Hardcore
Label: Cowabunga Records
Tracks: 4
Length: 6 Minutes (Very Short)
Style: Angry
My Rating: 6/8

The School Jerks are a hardcore punk band from Toronto, Ontario (Canada). They formed around 2008 or so. Their sound is simple, but effective and hard-hitting. Sort of a mix between early Black Flag and the later Germs. According to an interview, two members of the band, Ben and Luke, were previously in another band called "Terminal State"; the band broke up, but Ben and Luke wanted to keep playing music. The School Jerks' name is taken from the title of a song called "School Jerks" by a band called the Vains. The band has released a demo tape (released 2008), and two 7" records (the first of which I have already reviewed). This is the School Jerks' newest release, and it's a four-song 7" vinyl EP called "Decline".

1. Decline
Can't understand the lyrics, but the song is great, anyways. The vocals sound a lot like the slurred fucked-up-but-great yelling of Darby Crash, while the drumming and guitars punch hard like a song by Black Flag or the Circle Jerks! There's a little solo in the middle of the song. The song ends in a slowly fading clash of the final chords having been stroked.

2. Rentboy
Fastest song on the EP. Vocals sound great. I love the distortion. Yep, I have no idea what they're saying on any of these songs... Side 1's over, so turn the damn record over tooooo!!

3. Street Talk
My favorite song on here. The beat sort of holds back in the verse section, with the occasional cymbal clashing here n' there. Awesome riff, especially when the chorus section kicks in... just sounds really good to me! I'll bet this one sounds fucking great played live... the chorus riff has such a cool roll to it... that's when the beat starts resemble the first song's more... it's all cool, though.

4. Guestlist
Starts with a neat, lead-n-bassdrum intro... quickly, the first verse of the song begins. This one has a pretty neat outro-section that comes after the second chorus.

It's short, but good. It definitely has the vibe and attitude of the original hardcore punk bands; in a good way. The music's pretty straightforward simple, so if you're looking for jazz-fusion 'er something, don't look for it in this EP. It definitely has a classic vibe to it -- this is definitely something I think I'll still be listening to in the future. And with the band just starting off, it makes you wonder what they're gonna do next -- the 4-1-1 is that they may be working on some new recordings in the near future (read: probably before Summer begins), and it should rock as hard as this one does already. Sometimes the band gets their live shows broadcasted on Equalizing Distort Radio. You can find more info here:

http://equalizingxdistort.blogspot.com

I'm not sure how often they do it, but it's something I read on the band's MySpace page. So yeah, the School Jerks are for you if you're looking for a good, young, thrashy punk band. In some ways Toronto kinda comes off as the new L.A., punk-wise. Hope you liked my review, and have a happy Friday, everyone! :-)

Review #70: School Jerks - Nothing Else (Single)

NOTHING ELSE (SINGLE)

Year: 2009
Genre: Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Hardcore
Label: Riff Raff Records
Tracks: 3
Length: 3 Minutes (Very Short)
Style: Angry
My Rating: 6/8

I discovered and fell in love with the School Jerks on Sunday this week. There's a certain freshness to them. Enraged youthful slurred vocals, simplistic but hard-hitting instrumentation, and a sweet analog sound, they're one of the elite few bands of today that I willfully click the repeat button on when hearing a song. They're pretty new also, been around for just two years. They have released a demo tape and two 7" records -- this being the first 7". It has three songs on it.

1. Nothing Else
Fucking awesome riff. Great, loose vocals that resemble a live Darby Crash performance. All-around good song -- best one on the record! Exemplifies everything good about "normal" hardcore.

2. Stray
Fastest and shortest song. A little bit of guitar lead in this one.

3. Passed Out
A tempo similar to the first song's spliced between a pounding beat. The vocals are more easily heard in this tempo than in the second song. Longest song on the single (being about a minute and a half long).

It's very short, but well-worth the listen. Better than a ton of the other music that's out now! It's total classic, snotty, fun hardcore from another great Canadian band. The line-up for the band currently is: Luke, Ben, Ivan, and Matt. I'm not sure who does what. I just read it off the back album art of their other 7" EP. Someone please tell me who does what! Well, I don't know a whole ton else about this band, so I'm not going to keep going on like I do. So get and listen to this record... you won't regret!