Easy Action

If there's anything I love more than getting comments on a post it's receiving email from readers, friends, etc. Seriously - I dig hearing from people who read this thing and dig the music or just want to say hello ( true even if I sometimes forget to respond). Please, keep it coming.

I mention that because I received an interesting email the other day letting me know that a new Easy Action album is imminent. The writer was baffled how I could have overlooked not only Easy Action, but also John Brannon's earlier efforts in the Laughing Hyenas and Negative Approach. How could I overlook these bands while talking about the likes of TSOL? Well, you have to dig but I've done my due diligence:

My October 1, 2004 post on the Laughing Hyenas

My November 12, 2004 post on the Process of Elimination comp, including Negative Approach.

And yes, TSOL are sissies

So at this point it only makes sense I to talk about Brannon's latest group. Detroit's Easy Action crossed my radar in the late '90's after a couple of 7" releases on Reptilian Records. I've long been a fan of Brannon's throat-shredding howl, even through the later, less intense Hyena output. This new material was a kick in the teeth: aggressive, noisy, rock highlighted by thick guitar, pounding rhythms and the unmistakeable vocals. In short, somewhere between NA and the Hyenas. 2001 saw the release of a self-titled album on Reptilian. I honestly thought the band had gone under until the 2004's "Dead of Night/Worse for You" appeared on Empirical. Now we have the news of new album (Friends of Rock and Roll) and some touring to follow, so keep your eyes peeled. A couple of tracks:

Easy Action - What's The Deal.mp3
Big rock action here on the first track from the LP. Musically this sounds like the interim step from Negative Approach to the Laughing Hyenas, rather than the successor the Hyenas.

Easy Action - If There Is Something.mp3
The last track on the album is a cover of an early Roxy Music track. Soaring guitar, powerful vocals, and the overwhelming sense of finality make this is a perfect album closer.

Easy Action - Dead of Night.mp3
The A-side to the 2004 single, this has a definite Hyenas feel to it. If I didn't know any better I would guess that it was Larissa Strickland playing guitar. This and the flipside "Worse for You" aren't as "up" as the album, but that's not a bad thing. This material is whetting my appetite for the new album.