1208 - Turn Of The Screw

  by Alex Halls

published: 4 / 3 / 2004

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Review

One of the greatest attributes of a band is the variation of songs on an album. Others include overall strength of those songs and evidence that the band cares about the music they are producing: 1208 have it all. 'Turn of the Screw' is the second record from this Californian quintet. Billing themselves as "a rock and roll life raft in a scene increasingly littered with mallpunk junk", 1208 must have impressed to be invited to join the Epitaph label. The evidence speaks for itself. Having entered the scene in 1995 and choosing their shared-apartment number as the band name, 1208's debut, 'Feedback is Payback', finally came to fruition in 2002 and has now been succeeded by a worthy second record. Choosing to omit their surnames from most press literature, Alex (vocals), Neshawn (Guitar), Bryan (Bass) and Manny (Drums), indicate their friendly nature and dedication to punk music. What the band has done is to encompass the fun elements of rock & roll and combine it with the speed and meaning of punk, thus creating an alternative to an otherwise stagnant scene. Very few bands have managed this recently and 1208 should be commended for doing so: it is evolution or extinction, and 1208 seem to have embraced the former. 'Turn of the Screw' begins with an opening of classical merits in 'My Loss'; a somewhat chilling piano overture, before introducing 1208's rockier side. Recollecting pain and fear through loss and injustice, 'My Loss' is a good opener, and leaves the listener's appetite whet, before plunging into 'Fall Apart', a track which deals with a person's attempts to pull themselves together. The lyrics to this album are of a high standard; not attaining the political discourse of Good Riddance but gaining merit through its challenges of authority,and delving deep into the band's heads in a focused and accessible manner. 'All I Can Do' speaks of typical human nature and the challenges faced by us all in our very similar days: "And when the day is finally gone and done. My wrongs will disappear down with the sun." The challenge to authority is met on this album in 'Smash The Badge', stating the band's belief that "Authority would rather fight than unite." It perhaps does extend too far into the punk culture of old, which is always nice to see, but in these modern days it should be talking which has the answer, although sadly this is rarely followed.One of the more ferocious tracks on the album, 'Smash The Badge' through lyrics such as: "We're gonna take, we're gonna break. Leave us alone, or we'll break your face", does do justice to a band who feel injustice is to blame as the scourge of society, and, although slightly too positive about violence, the song adds more credibility to 1208's release. Jumping from the roaring opening tracks into the melodic 'Everyday', 1208 prove that there is a lot more to the band than meets the eye at first glance. Melody then turns to 'Not You', the most rock-orientated track on the album before returning to the dulcet sounds of 'The Saint'. Not only is the music inspiring but so is the artwork to the album, which is of a similarly high and artiistic standard, and all lyrics are contained for reference use within the CD booklet. All in all, 1208 and Epitaph have produced a superb package that any band would be proud of. A number of the songs have the same base foundations as Blink 182 use for their material but the main distinction that can here be drawn is the obvious superior quality of the vocals and the omission of any whining; more along the lines of The Deviates, thus leaving inspirational and catchy punk rock. 'Turn of the Screw' comes highly recommended as an alternative in the punk rock scene and cannot be faulted in any way. Through the help of experienced producers, 1208 have created a refined album, true to its very roots, and full of common sense in every one of the 14 tracks. If you are looking for the same energy as the Offspring but with more credibility, then 'Turn Of The Screw' is a must in your record collection.

Track Listing:-

1 My Loss
2 Fall Apart
3 Tell Me Again
4 Next Big Thing
5 Time To Remember
6 Smash The Badge
7 Lost And Found
8 Everyday
9 From Below
10 Hurts To Know
11 All I Can Do
12 Not You
13 The Saint
14 Turn Of The Screw

Label Links:-

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http://www.kingsroadmerch.com/epitaph-
https://twitter.com/epitaphrecords
https://www.youtube.com/epitaph