If there were a world that would let me stray further from yesterday’s raw Indonesian grind then I would live in that world….instead I (sadly) live in this one and I can only offer you Roughdrafts. If you believe the liner notes (and what choice do you really have?), this is a collection of songs written by and for members of THE HOPE BOMBS that were either in formative stages or were not quite suitable for the band in its (then) form. So you get acoustic manifestations of could-have-been ’90s East Bay punk classic. Annie from BORED TO DEATH makes a few appearances as well, most notable on a killer STRAY CATS cover, but the real cats are coming here to listen to some heads try and croon their way through some conceptual tracks and……I am still not sure if it works but I keep coming back to “Revolution Song?” and “About Tonite” and listening to the shamelessly amateurish “Church St.” while I wallow in my decisions on Church Street is something altogether other-worldly and it just works. I’m not going to lie to you; ROUGHDRAFTS are a harsh listen. But it’s not the kind of noise that you’re used to….and it just works. I’m not here to explain, just to share.
