Artist: The Obsoletes
Album: Is This Progress?
Label: 145
Tracks: 13
Length: 56:16
Review by: Mike “& the Revolution” Leech

Anybody remember that movie Eddie & the Cruisers? How about Eddie & the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives!? Anyone?? I didn’t think so. Anyway, these guys really remind me of the band from those movies. They also remind me of The Constantines, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and The Replacements quite a bit. So why, you ask, did I feel the need to bring up such an obscure reference as Eddie & the Cruisers, not to mention Eddie & the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives!, when I could have just named off those other bands in the first place? Well that’s a very good question, and I wish to high heaven that I could provide you with a suitable answer. All I can say, however, is that it’s all in the past now. The best thing to do at this point is to just forget about it and move on.

Moving on, The Obsoletes are a promising three-piece rock outfit from the great state of Wisconsin. Although each member of the band has a great deal of experience in the punk genre (including former ties to Yesterday‘s Kids and The Benjamins), they’re still a little wet behind the ears when it comes to Eddie & the Cru... I mean Replacements-style rock. Tracks like “Down to Milwaukee” and “Is This Progress?” do nothing but illustrate just how much these kids still have to improve on (especially in the way of vocals). But then there are the catchy, heartfelt rockers like “Empty Sidewalk”, “Wish it Never Came”, “Stay Awhile” and “P.O. Box” (which also happens to be *surprise surprise* a Replacements cover) that really make a case for The Obsoletes as a gifted rock band to keep an eye out for in the future.

Though Is This Progress? contains a number of solid jams, the majority of its tracks are pretty disposable. You may want to consider waiting until their next record comes out before you begin emptying your wallet. In the meantime, why not use that excess cash to rent, or possibly even purchase, the 1983 MGM classic, Eddie & the Cruisers? Or how about investing in its blockbuster 1989 sequel, Eddie & the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives!? Trust me. You’ll be happy you did.

This review brought to you by the good people at MGM Pictures.
Metro Goldwyn Mayer -- Feel the Power!™