Album Review: The Nuclears - "Seasides"


Another group signed to the increasingly prolific Rum Bar records across the pond, the Nuclears remind me oddly of an American version of the Rezillos with their alternating male/female vocals. It also maybe isn't a surprise to find that as with a lot of Rum Bar bands, there's a noticeable Ramones influence on here. It's been done many times before but at least on opening track Siamese Connection, the group manage to put their own twist on it, sounding like da Bruddas covering the Dolls' Vietnamese Baby with some added Jerry Lee style piano on it. Not a bad opener at all.

Unfortunately a few cracks soon begin to show after this promising start - Steer You Wrong and the almost doo-wop style Small Talk have a bit of potential but are sunk by flat over-glossy production which badly dilutes the sound while Make The First Move just sinks into power-pop-by-numbers mediocity. Mystery Slinger which recalls the excellent bluesy garage rock of the Bellrays at least turns it round a bit for the end of side one.

The Thin Lizzy style duelling guitars on side two opener and album highlight Bow To The Queen keep the momentum rolling - there's definitely a hint of Emerald here which is no bad thing at all. I Just Wanna Have Nothing To Do and Doin' The Same Thing Too are arguably the most obvious Ramones rip-offs yet on the album but they have enough of a tune and a kick to them to hold their heads up...just. Slash Run ups the tempo initially a bit with its Broken Teeth style riff before it bizarrely medleys into a cover of Kiss' Strutter for the last 90 seconds or so which sounds a bit superfluous and, to be honest, should probably have been saved for a B-side while closer Flat And Nasty just sounds dull and signs this one off on a bit of a low note unfortunately.

Until that last five minutes or so I'd been preparing to give Seasides a 7/10 as I thought the band had turned it around after a bit of a dud run in the middle of side one but unfortunately the pointless one minute Kiss cover and the poor closer left a bit of a bad taste and led to me marking it down by a point. It's a solid but very inconsistent effort with a good four of the tunes falling below par due to either lifeless production or just general poor tunes. Die hard power-poppers may just find something worth listening to here but for those who aren't fans of the genre, I can't see this being the album to convert you unfortunately.


NITE SONGS RATING: 🌓🌓🌓🌓🌓🌓🌑🌑🌑🌑 (6/10)

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