Artist: The Sharp Ease
Album: Going Modern
Label: olFactory
Length: 27:16
Review by: Luke Kruse

 

Going Modern by The Sharp Ease arrived in the mail for me to review as simply a burned CD with a small white sticker that read “The Sharp Ease – Going Modern.”  With the complete lack of packaging, awful band name, and no sort of press release with any sort of information about the band on it, my expectations for this release were about as low as can be.

I popped the album into my computers’ CD player, and went online to try and find out some information about the band I was listening to.  As I typed “The Sharp Ease” into Google, I found my feet tapping along to the running bass line of the first track.  Hmm. Perhaps The Sharp Ease would prove to be at least more enjoyable than I had thought.  As I found out that The Sharp Ease are a Los Angeles based all female group that had been around for a couple of years, I began to nod my head to the cheesy-but-fun chorus to the second track, “Life Preserver.”  The Sharp Ease, despite all the factors working against them, had at least piqued my interest enough to listen to the rest of the album with an open mind.   

Remember that 90’s band that had that hit song on alternative rock radio called “Volcano Girls?  I think Veruca Salt was their name.  Well, The Sharp Ease sound kind of like that band mixed with the art-punk sound of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and a hint of AC/DC arena rock.  The vocals are snotty, the guitars sloppy, and the rhythm section fairly straightforward.  Somehow, it all works to provide a solid listen.  Sure, Going Modern has little substance, and probably low replay value, but it is a fun rock & roll listen all the way through.