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KLONDIKE’S NORTH 40:
The Straight Path: CD
I really do not like
reviewing records. The reason: I tell it like it is. If a record is shit, I
will destroy it. Lackluster bands shouldn’t waste my time or Razorcake’s pages; and I don’t want impressionable kids—y’know,
whippersnappers like me at sixteen—buying garbage. That said, I often get into
trouble when reviewing “legends”—like I really didn’t want to pan Gary Burger’s
(of the Monks) new 45, but it was a pile of manure (so is the Dirtbombs’ new
LP). That’s painful, but I’m not judging Mick Collins or Gary Burger’s
respective careers—just their latest works. However, there is a plus side to
this dilemma: sometimes a “legend” comes through. And in the case of The
Straight Path, ex-Radio Birdman guitarist Chris “Klondike” Masuak is hitting
pay dirt. Some of the best elements of Birdman are here: thoroughly Australian
harmonies, strong lyrics, and excellent (!) guitar playing. The Straight Path
has the definite stamp of an ex-Birdman; it’s also reminiscent of some of the
Replacements latter-day records (Tim and Pleased to Meet Me) as Masuak’s voice sounds a bit like Westerberg’s. Refreshingly at fifty-plus
years of age, Masuak’s subject matter has grown with his life’s experiences—a
definite plus to the countless “legends” who simply revive their old formula.
Way to go, Klondike.
–Ryan Leach (I-94, www.i94barrecords.com)
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