Artist: The Nervous Return
Album: Wake Up Dead
Label: La Salle Records
Tracks: 10
Length: 34:08
Review By: Christopher Thomas!

It’s a sad thing that the Nervous Return is on La Salle Records, the imprint headed up by Blink-182’s Travis Barker.  Labels run by rock stars just don’t do well, and the bands always suffer from lack of attention.  If you need proof, take a look at the thrive-and-die history of the Beastie Boys’ Grand Royal, or the we-have-a-record-label-but-don’t-do-anything-with-it DC Flag imprint run by the boys in Good Charlotte.  Rock stars are too busy hanging out with Carson Daly and collaborating with Nelly to run businesses. They should just stick to making guest appearances in P. Diddy’s videos and leave the running of record companies to the businessmen who pay attention to the bands – even if they only do it so they can buy another SUV for their 16-year old daughter.

Okay, enough cynicism.  On to the review: So the sad part is that this band, the Nervous Return, is good, and they need a label that will nurture them and let them grow over time.  This album is decent, but it only alludes to what the band might do in the future.  While the Nervous Return are decidedly a rock and roll band, dissonance is the name of the game on every song.  But instead of becoming a tired gimmick, the dissonance simply infuses itself into the band’s sound.  It does a fine job of setting the band apart from other groups in the genre, but the best parts of the record come when the band transitions into catchier, less harsh areas.  “Murder Weapon” is an excellent example of how the contrast between dissonance and harmony can make a much more exciting song than simply one or the other.

The first three tracks are unfortunately placed, as they are the least interesting tracks on the album and run interminably together.  Any casual listener would certainly give up before they got to “Murder Weapon,” the album’s fourth track and the first real taste of how good this band can be.

In addition to dissonance, the Nervous Return provides sass like you wouldn’t believe.  The attitude, the vocal delivery, and lyrics like “You’re such a bore, why you so uptight anyway?  Your mama never give love to baby?” slap listeners in the face and make them feel like they deserve it.  But along with the attitude come lines like “All you ever wanted was a kiss goodbye from a gun,” which seems a bit too contrived.  The band would be better off trading some of their attitude for a bit of sincerity.

The Nervous Return is a good band, and they have a distinct sound that is a welcome addition to the rock genre.  They have attitude, they have catchy songs, and they have a decent first album.  The one thing they don’t have is a firm grasp on the full potential of their sound.  Let’s hope that their label takes care of them long enough for them to search it out.