The Saints : Nothing Is Straight In My House 2005

The Saints are a rock band, originating in Brisbane, Australia founded by Chris Bailey (singer-songwriter, later guitarist), Ivor Hay (drummer), and Ed Kuepper (guitarist-songwriter) in 1974. Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups.  

In 1975, contemporaneously with American punk rock band the Ramones, The Saints were employing the fast tempos, raucous vocals and "buzz saw" guitar that characterised early punk rock. With their debut single, "(I'm) Stranded", in September 1976, they became the first "punk" band outside the US to release a record, ahead of better-known acts including the Sex Pistols and The Clash. They are one of the first and most influential groups of the genre.

In early 1979, the Saints had imploded, leaving Bailey to continue the band, with a variable line-up. All Fools Day peaked in the Top 30 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart in April 1986. Bailey also has a solo career and had relocated to Sweden by 1994. The band was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 2001.

While Nothing Is Straight in My House is a far cry from the punk-flavored assault of (I'm) Stranded, the pounding opening salvo of "Porno Movies" shows Willson-Piper knows how to confidently make with the crunch, while drummer Pete Wilkinson and bassist Caspar Wijnberg set up a menacing throb in the background.

While Bailey does throw in a few mid-tempo numbers along the way, such as the folk-rock-influenced "I Couldn't Help Myself" and "Garden Dark," the good news is "Bang On," "Paint the Town Electric," and "Nylon Pirates" find the Saints rocking out with smarts, swagger, and supreme confidence, and Chris Bailey is once again producing the sort of sneering vocals that made him a contender back in the day.

The Saints continue to record and perform. In 2014 Bruce Springsteen covered their classic "Just Like Fire Would" on his High Hopes album.

Bailey is also writing up to his best standard on this set, and while the overly clean production sometimes holds the band back, the fact is this album rocks, and when it comes to the Saints, that's always good news. Great stuff.

TRAXS

01. "Porno Movies" - 3:08
02. "A Madman Wrecked My Happy Home" - 2:32
03. "Nothing Is Straight In My House" - 4:32
04. "Digging a Hole" - 3:59
05. "I Couldn't Help Myself" - 4:38
06. "Paint The Town Electric" - 4:12
07. "Nylon Pirates" - 3:03
08. "Bang On" - 3:13
09. "Taking Tea With Aphrodite" (Bailey, Wijnberg) - 2:57
10. "Passing Strange" (Bailey, Willson-Piper) - 5:0
11. "Garden Dark" - 7:19
12. "Where Is My Monkey?" (Bailey, Wilkinson) - 3:08
13. "Nothing Is Straight (Slight Return)" - 2:33

MP3  Size  :  120 MB

FLAC  Size  :  323 MB