Local H - Whatever Happened to P.J. Soles

Scott Lucas and Brian St. Clair do one thing, and they do it well. Writing big riffs, growling out anthematic choruses, and throwing in the occasional intense lead guitar/feedback wall seems to come naturally to this duo. In fact, listening to Whatever Happened to PJ Soles? makes you want to see the band live and confirm that from the first riff of the first song, they will be pouring with sweat and giving the rock all they've got until they collapse. Local H has never been one of those bands with songs that require the combing over of each line of lyrics to decipher what it is that the artist is trying to say. Much like the music, the lyrics are straightforward and honest. Unfortunately, this is a bit of a detriment if you're looking for something with just a bit of substance. One of the album's most intense songs, "Heavy Metal Bakesale", would easily grab you musically, but you might find yourself pulling down that fist of rock when you catch yourself chanting "Heavy Metal Bakesale! Heavy Metal Bakesale!" On the flip side, the brutal honesty of a track like "California Songs" berating the seemingly constant love that musicians give to California is refreshing and clever. Whatever Happened to PJ Soles? is easily the blueprint for what you should have come to expect from Local H - an hour of big riffed rock consisting of intense 3-5 minutes song, one 10 minute jam out ("Buffalo Trace"), and one more laid back song ("Mellowed"). Strangely enough, none of this material feels rehashed or recycled from previous albums. Local H is able to keep their style intact and keep it fresh - adding new sounds, new techniques, but always retaining the rock. Local H may not go down in your rock books as most influential band or most consistent with reinvention, but they should be heavily noted as high quality, enjoyable, full force rock. [www.localh.com]