sonicslang.com review of The Kiss Off from Pris

back to Press menu

---

SONICSLANG.COM

"Any rock album with 24 tracks on it is likely to have its fair share of filler, and The Kiss Off, the latest release from Pris, is no exception. But the low points are few and far between as the band has pulled together something of a mini best-of collection that highlights the last couple years in the life of this surprisingly potent Seattle act.

Led by Burke Thomas, sometimes drummer for Vendetta Red, Pris are a difficult band to categorize. Some might call them pop punk, but doing so is potentially misleading. Sure, most of the songs are melodic, hook-heavy, and crunchy. But they lack that slick, glossy feel and the band is better for it. Plus, some of the songs just freakin' rock a lot harder.

"Doobie Down Down" will appeal to the Weezer fans out there, with pop melodies and fuzzy guitars that Rivers Cuomo would kill for. Even the guitar solo sounds like a direct lift from The Green Album. It's Pris at their most catchy and accessible.

"Tighty Whitey", despite its jokey title is darker in feel and has heavier guitars, but maintains its pop sensibilities. It's really pretty emo, but not in that whiny way that anyone older than 17 finds utterly annoying. It actually rocks.

"T.D.O" finds Pris indulging their slightly experimental, spacey side with a new wave feel mixed into another hard rocker. It sort of sounds like what The Cars might have been if they started 15 years later.

"Satellite Bitches" is likely a live favorite, and has the catchiest hook on The Kiss Off. Here Pris show off their knack for pop melodies while maintaining that ragged edge.

The rest of The Kiss Off follows similar terrain. A few songs make detours, like the almost instrumental, industrial sounding "Increase the Bypass" (with only brief distorted vocals and some Speak and Spell effects), but generally speaking the album goes on a slight autopilot after a very strong opening.

I certainly can say the album doesn't really have a single outright dud. But I can't help but think that there's a truly exceptional 12-14-track disc buried in the mix. In fairness, the album was meant to be a kind of collection of recent tracks and highlights, so the length may be understandable. But at over 75 minutes, even the best bands would be hard pressed to maintain the creative peaks Pris manage to hit several times on The Kiss Off. Buy it, and load your favorites onto the iPod. "
Jeff Cambron