Pokinatcha, the debut release from Magnified Plaid, contains everything, including the kitchen sink. This trio from Washington, which musically sounds like a conglomeration of The Ramones, Green Day, The Pixies, andBlenderhead, have a real hit on their hands. Their sound, dubbed "melodic punk," is not as chaotic as most punk bands' sounds, though it could hardly be classified as "wimpy," either, as Mike, the lead vocalist and bassist, has a natural punk voice. There is a positive aggression, which comes out of the music, which one may sense rather quickly. As well, Pokinatcha has a really great raw, garage-sound feel.
Generally speaking, the tracks on Pokinatcha are speedy and short (there are 21 songs on the album). Numbers like "Weak" and "Unopposed" are some of the faster songs on the album, creating an impression that the members of the band are late for a meeting or a previous engagement. In songs like "The Aspect," one may wonder if Yuri, the drummer, ever gets exhausted from all the rapid drum work. Andy, the guitarist, plays a variety of musical styles with ease. This is evidenced in tracks such as "Too Much Thinking," where the intro sounds like great summer driving music; and "Dead End," among others.
Lyrically, the material is presented in a very straight-forward, "speak your mind" fashion, yet at the same time, the lyrics provoke much reflection. In "Weak," there is a clear acknowledgement of God's strength and power, while in "Twisted Words," the band sings about people who twist words around, chaning their meaning.
There is a fair share of humor on this album. For instance, in the romantic-punkish tune "Want Ad," the writer wants a girl who "buys me Coke/someone who laughs at all my jokes..." They are quite blunt in "Another Song About TV," in which the refrain echoes "TV sucks!" (the two or three screams in the song remind me of a harder-sounding One Bad Pig). Perhaps the most hilarious track (and the most catchy) is "Bad Hair Day," in which one can sense a definite Ramones influence.
Overall, Pokinatcha by Magnified Plaid is highly recommended. Musically, it has a very wide appeal to varying punk styles, and is very easy to get into. Tooth & Nail has really scored a big one in this release!
Other coverage for this album
The Conqueror Worm Jun/Jul 1995Reviewed by argyllethis cd friggin rocks! here we have melodic punk that some will say sounds like green day (man, i really didn't want to have to use that name here) with the major differences being that they don't sound that much alike, and MxPx doesn't suck. this disc has 21 tracks rounding out to 48 minutes. there are 10 or 12 songs i love and the rest aren't bad at all. "time brings change", "no room", and…