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Karma Rejects release Debut Album "Negative"
Critics call it "noise"
Port Swedes, Vrassa
April 30, 5099


"Negative" feels unpolished, and in doing so, may recapture punk rock attitude

The Port Swedes trio, Karma Rejects, released their debut album "Negative" on Vrassa District Records this week. Sales were high along the Vrassa Coast, but in larger markets in Sulari and Kaliburg, the album went largely unnoticed. Except, it seems by the music critics, who roundly criticized the record. One critic, Jefferey Applebaum, on his widely read music blog "Total RawkNRoll" summarized the album with one word: "Noise." Others called it "Unpolished", "a real miss for VDR," and "Unplayable by any but the college set, who often can't tell good music from a whole in their head." There were few positive reviews for the record, most notable one coming from College DJ Pedro Golf, who has featured a listening party at High Bong University, who has stated that the album is not properly fit into existing punk genres, but instead represents "the sound of records to come."

The Band was unphased by early reviews- Their response was more like a collective shrug. "Talmidge wasn't even on this record," said lead singer Albert Courtney. "The dude who played drums on the record... well, lets just say we thought we could do better than Talmidge. We were wrong. He's out." Courtney was referring to session drummer Eddie Beard, who's drumming was not viewed as especially inspired. In fact, Talmidge left the band at the beginning of recording to finish his degree in fashion design, so he will have something to fall back on "if this band thing don't work", but VDR pushed the band to record a record to both get some experience, and to have something to show for their year in development. Talmidge, when interviewed, said "Yeah, that Beard dude f--ked up my songs. I'll be back."

Bassist Dave Bjorksson seemed to think highly of the record, at first. "I mean, yeah, its a little different than I remember it sounding in the studio. They did some pretty good stuff in post production I guess, but like some of the songs, I don't even remember playing on... And I know Court's voice is really scratchy. Like irritatingly so... but on this record he sounds smooth as silk. Its really amazing what technology can do." Bjorksson went on to praise the horns, especially, but also the strings and the lush production. Courtney reportedly asked him what record he was talking about, and it was discovered after about 15 minutes of questioning that Bjorksson was describing what he thought was his band's debut album, but was really the soft/yacht rock classic eponymous album Jerry McGee, by 3989's artist of the year Jerry McGee. "Weird. I was wondering why our album was named Jerry McGee. I was like 'Did that decision get made after I went home or what?"

He was handed a copy of "Negative" and told to go home and listen to it. He came back in two hours and reported that indeed that was "the right record." When asked what he thought of it, he said "Well, I mean it sounds closer to what I remember playing."

VDR, for its part, has not washed their hands of the Karma Rejects. They have agreed that when the band is ready and brings back new material, they will pair them with a stronger producer, and try again. Though this record is generally viewed as an artistic disappointment, it recaptures more of a traditional punk sound than much of the pop-punk that has pervaded Kalistani radios and M7 for the last several decades, and may just be the first shots in a music revolution that aims at recapturing a far more aggressive and indeed, gritty sound.

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdPdFNptSU0]
You can Listen to [img]"Negative"[/img] by Karma Rejects, from VDR here.