Recognise

Independent music frustrates me quite often. Bands may have great songs but have poor production or musicianship. Others may have great musicianship and production but bland songs.

"Recognise" shoots these problems to pieces: from even picking up the case and viewing the lovely original artwork, you just know this is a different level of quality. Ten seconds into the first track "Recognise" I was dancing round the room, pulling a sex face and playing air guitar. Production is warm but crunchy, and it lets the power and passion of the songs shine through. There is some excellent songcraft here, and teh songs get the soundscape they deserve.

There's not a single duff track on here : Ujpest, Mirrors and wires...From the Shadows .. any of these tracks would be your favourite song on any other album.

Musicality, spirit and spit in equal measures make this a great album for anybody tired of the mediocre crap that fills "Class Rock Magazine's" covermount CD. if you love Green day / Sugar / Husker Du style rock /punk with a contemporary edge this may be the best tenner you will spend all year.

And envy me - I have the box set no 17/50 ;)

This album is a masterpiece, plain and simple. I've been a fan of JD and the FDCs for quite a long time now and I can honestly say that they have never sounded better than they do on this, their debut album.

'Burn This City Down' and 'Never Gonna Stop', both previously released in EP format, are given new life in the album mix and every other track here is pure killer; there isn't a single track that could even be described as 'average', like you would expect to find in almost any other album.

Kicking off with 'Recognise', a pounding masterclass in sleazy punk rock, the album grabs you by the scruff of the neck and never lets go. Even the acoustic 'This Town of Infamy', offers little respite, the lyrics spat and snarled by Jamie Delerict and the tub-thumping underbelly giving the whole track the feel of an underground anthem. 'From the Shadows' is a high-octane thriller and the anthemic 'Never Gonna Stop' will be running through your head for the rest of your life.

There is nothing on this album that gives any indication that this is a debut mainstream release from the band. Delerict has served sufficient time in various other projects to give him the experience to lead this band with aplomb and the whole sound is tight and organised, while losing none of the spirit of true punk rock.

If you are a fan of punk, underground or just rock in general, you simply must buy this album!

You've maybe got one or two albums in your collection which you can honestly say are solid from start to finish. Well this could be another!

You only have to look at their guest collaborators on this album to recognise that they are serious players.

The likes of Dez Cadena (Black Flag, Misfits), Richard Bacchus (D Generation), Jesse Luscious (The Criminal, Blatz), Acey Slade (Murderdolls, Dope, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Acey Slade and the Dark Party), and former WWF/WWE Womens Wrestling Champion Lita/Amy Dumas to name just a few, all stamp their approval to a great emerging rock'n'roll band.

This album and indeed JD & the FDCs as a live act stand up with the very best.