Album Review

Last Call – Dog Years

• 27th Nov 2012

Las Vegas’ punk rock quartet Last Call are releasing their new album ‘Dog Years’ via Broken Arrow Collective, a record label made up of members of the band and their close friends. This DIY direction has already worked in the favour of other bands that have recently tired of labels taking advantage of them. Last Call seems to be no exception and it is an admirable move for the quartet to make with this latest release.

‘Generation Gap’ introduces the record with great energy, working crossover vocals in the second verse and following with a shout-a-long chorus. Setting the record off to a good start and continuing with ‘Bones,’ Last Call combine infectious rhythms with an admirable lead section to produce yet another memorable track.

As most successful bands do, Last Call play to their strengths when it comes to their writing ability. One element that they have proved to impress with so far during this first half of the record is their vocal structures: taking advantage of their double vocalist line up to create a real substance in their music. Title track ‘Dog Years’ mirrors this in a pretty perfect way, as did previous tracks and I believe that (or at least hope) this continues throughout the rest of the record.

‘Dog Years’ enters a slow-paced instrumental prologue with ‘Limbo,’ quite an emotional piece of music that soon kicks into the rapid percussion, fast riff intro of ‘Braid.’ This emotion is still held onto, with a sense of desperation within the vocals and a moving guitar solo during the track. The band isn’t afraid to explore issues in life that they (and us as listeners) will have undoubtedly faced during our lifetimes, using music as a perfect platform to do this.

‘Nothing, Ever.’ combines both fast and mid-paced sections in just the correct proportions as most tracks have done throughout the record. These twists and turns keep you on your toes and that’s what a record should do, giving ‘Dog Years’ top marks for being a real good listen so far. ‘Small Town Blues’ concludes the record and I’m sad that it’s drawing to a close. The four-piece end the record with a reminder of what they excel at: a mixture of energetic percussion, captivating rhythms, a crossover vocal/chant end section and a slowed guitar solo thrown in for good measure. With the final seconds featuring a distorted solo percussion, the record closes on a very bold note.

Last Call have made a cracking record with ‘Dog Years’ and by admirably releasing through their own label, the quartet are making a brave but no doubt rewarding move. With infectious hooks and raw vocals galore, ‘Dog Years’ has done nothing but impress and if you know what’s good for you, you should go and place your order now and support this band on their deserving journey to success.

Venue: Dog Years
Support Band: Broken Arrow Collective