ALRIGHT, JUNIOR rock harder than they look.

Alright, Junior’s five song E.P., ‘Our Temporary Everything’ picks up where their last release, ‘Eudaemonic’, left off; leading a visceral stampede of post-punk anthems upon our ear drums. Taking into account the vast amount of overdubbing and production tricks used on modern recordings, it’s refreshing to hear one that sounds like the band is playing live in your ear buds. The sonic quality of the album is definitely an improvement upon ‘Eudaemonic’, progressing from rawness to a fuller, more polished sound. The grit is still very present due to the band’s ability stay disciplined without being boring. I would describe Alright Junior as beautiful melodies, mixed with thought provoking lyrics, tied together by the threads of tangled guitars being dragged about by the rhythms of an incendiary drummer.

“Fish vs. Ambulance” opens the record with the whole band jumping right in with a twisting progression. The verse quickly makes an entrance, although far more controlled, the chaos is still present. The band seems to portray a consistent concept of controlled chaos, and love walking the thin line between both ideas. This dynamic is used throughout the recording. Over the years, we have grown accustomed to bands getting quiet then erupting with loud choruses. Alright Junior continue this idea, but spin it by never really getting quiet. I would correlate it to a protest group quieting down when police officers come by threatening them with riot sticks. They calm down, but their spirit is never broken. Alright Junior does a great job of controlling a section, then erupting into a new part without ever sounding like a parody. “Balance”, the third song on the record proves this point. They take the dynamic of “Fish vs. Ambulance” and turn it on its head. Instead of starting out controlled, they begin with a storm of chaos, only to calm down for the chorus of “…I balance me, I balance me…”. “Russian Dolls” keeps a consistent pulsation, even when it calms down. The strong spirit of the band is present throughout.

In addition to the sonic element of the record, the songs themselves are well written. “Balance” employs a technique known as text painting. The song begins like a bat out of hell, only to calm down and balance out for the chorus that talks about balancing oneself. Coincidence? I think not. Even if it is, it speaks to the natural knack this group has for writing strong parts to make the song better. Anxiety, control, and religion are all favorite talking points for Alright Junior. “Minds Built Like Rome” talks about following the lines drawn by others and questioning the greed of the human spirit. The pre-chorus is one of the catchiest flow of words I’ve ever heard, all delivered with the precision of a classical pianist. “Russian Dolls” the final track, makes a wonderful correlation with the human spirit and our mentality towards religion. The track contains a wonderful music interlude that occurs towards the end before erupting into one more expansive chorus to finish the record.

The root of the band is how well crafted their songs are. Alright Junior writes the kind of songs that are more fun to hear with amps turned all the way up, but are still good enough to be played acoustically on a Thursday night at Puck. Hopefully the only thing temporary about Alright Junior will be the amount of time we will have to wait for new recording.

myspace.com/alrightjunior

About Matt Brigidi

Matt is studying Music History at Temple University. He loves his guitar just as much as he loves his Flyers.