The Beefeater Project – Lo-Fi Resurrection of the American Underground / 2006 Closet Media / 15 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/thebeefeaterproject / Reviewed 25 February 2007

The fuzz that starts out “Lo-Fi Resurrection” is a little bit off-putting, as the band’s output would be even stronger during “Race of the Rats” than it currently is with the layer of fuzz added in. The plodding tempo of The Beefeater Project during this track is compelling, and the vocals fit into the grand scheme of things pretty well throughout the song. It is just the distortion that seems a little off at time; I know the album is tied to the whole “lo-fi” thing, but the output does not need to sound as if it’s coming off of a tape deck.

The band seems to heed that advise, as “Broken Man” is a much more compelling song than “Race of the Rats”. Of course, there is a psychedelic, classic sound to “Broken Man”, but even that is interpreted through the lens of early nineties alternative rock. This means that a larger segment of listeners will be appreciate to appreciate The Beefeater Project during this track. While the distortion comes back during “Come On (Be Or Bleed)”, the band is able to work it into the track in a much more solid way than they did during “Race of the Rats”. This allows The Beereater Project to have their first hit with “Life Is So Cruel”, a track that would be perfect on the classic rock radio stations, even with its tambourine-sounding percussion.”Life is So Cruel” gets some more cool points, as the dominant vocals move from recalling the sixties to taking on a more Mike Ness type of grit at points.

“Building” and “Somewhere Unimportant” are two tracks that continue the strong streak of songs that The Beefeater Project have put forth on their “Lo-Fi Resurrection”. It is during “Somewhere Unimportant” that The Beefeater Project move back into the nineties alternative band re-envisioning the seventies. In a sense, what The Beefeater Project does during this track is similar to what Polaris and all of the other bands on the Pete and Pete soundtrack did. The band is able to continue their dominance throughout the entirety of “Lo-Fi Resurrection”, and do it in a way that never sounds dated or insincere in the least. I want to hear more of the band here in the future, and I have little doubt in my mind that they would be a great act if someone should see them live. Pick it up.

Top Tracks: Life IS So Cruel, Salty Dog

Rating: 6.9/10

[JMcQ]