Just A Fire - Light Up

You might be familiar with the members of Just a Fire's previous work --bassist/singer Fred Erskine put time in both Hoover and June of '44, and guitarist Chris Daly has his roots in Sweep the Leg Johnny. Along with drummer Scott Adamson, the trio has produced 9 songs collectively known as "Light Up", on Asian Man Records. Just a Fire can't be pigeonholed into one genre; you can find hints of reggae, punk, indie, and post-hardcore throughout Light Up. Songs such as "Hot Export" are hard driving songs, but you've gotta get past the fact that Erskine doesn't have an exceptional voice, and his shouting isn't the best either. But it's not dreadful, either. "Graduation" implements some brass and reggae, and brings to mind a more experimental version of The Police; by far the album's strongest track. Much of the lyrical content focuses on politics, as heard on the almost Hot Hot Heat-ish "Snake in that Bush". If you can overlook the occasional "this is a good song but shouldn't last this long" factor, and enjoy bands ranging from The Police to Q and Not U to June of '44 (surprise surprise), Light Up surely won't be a letdown. [www.asianmanrecords.com]