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ESC008 | released February 13, 2007
"Brian Wilson Shock Treatment meets The Labor Party
meets The Standells? No, even better than that! They're tight
musically, good production - hey, it's a hit! Great rock 'n'
roll record! Lots of 1960's influences, but the same as The
Ramones and Dictators (The Hollies, The Who, The Kinks, The
Standells, etc.)." - John Holmstrom, Punk Magazine
"Sometimes it's hard to imagine what rock & roll must
be like in New York City with three-quarters of the Ramones
passed on and CBGB's just a memory, but the first album from
the Visitors suggests some things never change in the City That
Never Sleeps -- there are still old-school punk bands belting
out two-and-a-half minute tunes about girls, hanging out and
various stuff that bugs them over chugging guitar riffs and
no-frills melodic hooks, and the Visitors are one such combo.
While first-era Gotham noisemakers the Ramones, the Dead Boys
and the Heartbreakers are obvious points of inspiration, the
Visitors manage to put the collected parts together in a way
that gives them a personality of their own, and they have the
snazz to pull it off. Bradley's chunky meat-and-potatoes guitar
runs get the job done with style and swagger, bassist Brian
offers high-attitude vocals while holding down the bottom end,
and Danny's breakneck drumming is solid while keeping up with
the amplified chaos surrounding him. Fold in songs like "Clean
and Civilized," "I Don't Belong," "Don't
Wait for Me" and "TV Blues" that cover contemporary
urban life with street smarts and plenty of piss and vinegar,
and you get a half-hour of high quality rock & roll that
not only honors its influences but makes some serious noise
of its own. And the Visitors even score additional cool points
with a righteous cover of Roky Erickson's "I Walked with
a Zombie" - folks, stuff like this is why New York is still
the Greatest City In The World. Give it a spin." -
Mark Deming, All-Music Guide
"The Visitors are 100% garage rock. Like their distorted,
energetic, and slightly reckless sound, this New York trio is
proud to claim that they're "never gonna be clean and civilized."
The sound that the Visitors achieve is excellent. The band and
recorder/mixer (no producer is listed) Uncle Mitro capture the
ragged edge of garage rock while not sounding like a reactionary
band trying to sound exactly like the album was recorded
in the '60s or '70s. Combining a knack for catchy melodies with
a passionate performance and lyrics never too far removed from
traditional rock subject, the Visitors should appeal to any
garage rock enthusiast with their just-under-30-minutes, self-titled
album." - Bob McMahon, PLAYBACK:stl
"The Visitors aren't here to recreate a thin sliver of
their record collection. They're not even here blend bits and
pieces of their favorite obscurities to win over the garage-bound
train-spotters ("It's like The Chocolate Watchband meets
The Trashmen!"). The Visitors gleefully muddies
the waters, jacking noisy, grimy rock'n'roll from all points
between the garage and CBGB's. And while the band's destroying
the sterility maintained by garage rock's gate-keeping elite,
it's busy indulging the sort of weird-assed streak you'd expect
from a lost Ramones tune: Topic matter strays from cheerfully
bemoaning daytime television ("TV Blues") to happily
bemoaning psychotherapy ("Happy Again") to messing
with a Roky Erikson cut about the undead ("I Walked with
a Zombie")... It's the sound of a band picking up guitars
and banging out the first thing that came out. Full of soul,
crammed with an irrepressible, almost innocent glee, The
Visitors is the antithesis to the buttoned-down world of
garage rock rules. Wrecking authenticity and bastardizing a
slew of rock'n'roll formulas is rarely so much fun." -
Matt Schild, Aversion.com
"The Visitors' debut release is the epitome of classic
garage punk rock, evoking a raw, Social Distortion-like sound.
At twelve tracks and barely thirty minutes in length, The Visitors'
self-titled album combines driving beats, simple lyrics, and
gritty melodies to make an impressive and appealing debut. The
New York outfit, signed to Eschatone Records, delivers with
this bold and engaging album... Catchy and spirited, The Visitors
make honest punk rock, and a live show would undoubtedly be
wildly entertaining. This sort of unapologetic passion for making
music is not frequently captured on an album, but The Visitors
manage it, and sound they really happy about doing so."
- Claire Schuster, Delusions of Adequacy
"The remnants of punk rock's influence on pop culture were
slowly eroded by the waves of pop that came out of bands like
Good Charlotte and Blink 182; choked by the metal-tomfoolery
of Sum 41, and yet, here come the Visitors, leading the charge
at the lifeless music in mainstream America. Some things shouldn't
have to be adapted for public consumption, here is an act that
is doing their best to rewind time and deliver the best punk
record of 1974. Tight riffs and hooky bass lines pound the deepest
primal recesses. It doesn't matter when you heard your very
first punk rock song; the Visitors are capable and willing to
take you back in their rock and roll space capsule... There
is a chemistry on The Visitors that cannot be faked or duplicated,
the band are three irrepressible brothers-in-arms, allied against
crappy artists and pretentious has-beens. Few could deliver
such a fun experience; remaining distinctively lo-fi and crystal
clear simultaneously. If the group had access to top-notch equipment,
they don't care for it, instead choosing to rely on skill and
the simplicity of great punk rock to sway an audience. Whether
asking the listener to swallow the speed and precision of grimy
rock and roll or to enjoy the simplicity of three chord progressions,
the Visitors are more than happy to toss a wrench into one's
perception. What is punk? This is punk, and though you can "tell
when you hear it," the band members themselves don't know what
they are... The Visitors make good music and need to be appreciated
for that. The Visitors don't care who likes them, as long as
the people who do find them fun. Music isn't always about being
the first or the best, sometimes the band that plays the loudest
and seems the most "together" on stage can win fans. This is
an act that won't need commercial success to feel valuable,
even though they surely deserve to reap the fruits of their
labors. Eschatone Records might just have something huge on
their hands here." - Shawn M. Smith, Broken Dial
"The Visitors crank out garage stompin' tunes with traditional
inspiration drawn from classic 50's/60's rock n' roll with a
slightly rougher edge. The New York based trio has a slightly
stripped down guitar based sound that works well and the singer's
raspy vocal style works more often than not, although a few
warts and bald spots poke out now and again in that department.
They stray into other territories too, dipping into punk rock
ballads and more melodic 80's guitar pop punk that almost sounds
like early Replacements or The Dils. It's unapologetic ass shakin'
guitar rock, which is something I kind of like. The Visitors
are playing music similar to that of their heroes, and they
have pretty damn good taste in heroes." - The Swede,
Culturebunker.com |
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| no scheduled performances |
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