Having reached the
John Cougar Mellencamp
stage of his career, could it be that
D.O.A.
frontman
Joey Shithead
is transforming into a mature artist? Yeah, not so much.
Band of Rebels
is
Keithley
's first solo album, but it's just as much a Vancouver
punk
supergroup, featuring members of
, the
Grapes of Wrath
, and many lesser-known lights of the BC
and indie scenes. Though
's
hardcore
roots show through, there are
ska
,
rockabilly
reggae
metal
and
funk
riffs threaded throughout
;
"Fuck the Corporation"
even finds
rapping, after a fashion. At fifty minutes and 14 songs, the album is a little padded: the covers of
"Born to Be Wild"
"Goodnight Irene"
in particular are cute but inessential. But for the most part,
sounds like
invited all of his friends into the studio for a party and released the good-humored, occasionally silly but just as often inspired results as an album. ~ Stewart Mason