Snapcase - Bright Flashes

When I got the chance to check out a Snapcase album, I knew my friend Dan would be proud of me. He's been trying to push the band onto me for quite a long time, and I'd never given them any chance whatsoever. So with this given opportunity, in an attempt to impress him, I gave their newest CD Bright Flashes a couple of listens. Unfortunately, this probably isn't the first disc I should've delved into. And if you're not familiar with Snapcase, I wouldn't recommend getting this one. Don't get me wrong, upon listening to their older releases after the fact, I realize that Snapcase is a brilliant hardcore punk band. This CD is more of a b-sides & cover songs collection though, like what Incesticide was to Nirvana; it's a good CD to people that already dig the band, but otherwise it doesn't stand well on it's own. The CD still gets a decent rating from me because it's so eclectic that it keeps me entertained and listening. Throw in the fact that they cover a great Helmet song ("Blacktop"), "Mountain Song" by Jane's Addiction and a really sweet cover of "Gates Of Steel" by Devo (as well as "Freedom of Choice," but it doesn't hold up as good as the former). They rework a couple of older songs, but some of the newer tracks, notably "Dress Rehearsal", "Depth Of Field" and the excellent "Makeshift Tourniquet" (what a great name for a hardcore song) are surprisingly good. So now, armed with the CD and a few listens under my belt, I told my friend Dan that I had the new Snapcase CD. He laughed and said "Bright Flashes? The new one with the awful pink cover? That's such a bad CD. You should've gotten their OLDER stuff. That CD doesn't even compare". So there you have it, straight from a long time fan. It's still pretty good, but if you're new to this band, I guess it doesn't even touch their older material. [www.snapcase.com]