THE BITES ‘The Bites’ Album Review
Reviewed by GMcA
Swaggering, sassy and fun, The Bites lift the bar with their second album and deliver a hugely enjoyable slice of radio-friendly 80’s rock.
Occupying a musical space somewhere between Bon Jovi and Def Leppard at their most mainstream/commercial, the poppier rock moments of Little Angels and the All American Rejects, LA’s The Bites have in a single step gone from releasing a good album to releasing a great album.
Highlights include album opener “Whenever You’re Ready” which sets the scene with an instantly memorable sing out loud chorus; the sexy swagger of “Lips” which oozes attitude and with a towering chorus in the spirit of “Give Me Something For The Pain”; the wonderful building and falling of “Hold On” with it’s soaring chorus in search of a movie (or box set) soundtrack; and “Shake Your Thing” which will have you, well, shaking your shammy before you know it. Who cares if the neighbours see you giving it laldy? Be polite and invite them in for a boogie.
And that’s not all. I could just as easily have picked out “Pretty Pistol”, “Dancing With the Devil” or “Aftertaste”. This is an album loaded with great songs.
Released by the good folks at Earache Records in more formats than I could shake a big stick at, there are formats to appeal to all tastes, but which may require the completists amongst you to take out a second mortgage if wanting them all. However, within these the ‘Ultimate Edition’ offers exceptional value, includes an additional 5 bonus tracks and can be downloaded from iTunes this week only for £4.99.
There’s a lot of depressing things happening out there just now. Akin to a musical anti-depressant, The Bites have produced a wonderful piece of musical escapism which has the potential to transport you to another place and time, let you forget your worries for a while and remind you of why you love rock music.
Very highly recommended.