The first time I heard Solar Coaster I thought to myself, "They sound like the Kingston Trio on acid." Problem was, I myself was on acid at the time-- a really solid dose of windowpane, actually, and my judgment in music (and everything else) was highly suspect. Hell, every time my telephone rang I thought it sounded like Thurston Howell III gargling with brass polish. I found out later that Solar Coaster, despite the fact that they are indeed three, don't sound like the Kingston Trio-- not even a tiny bit. They're actually North Carolina- based combo steeped in tuneful punk. If anything, they sound a bit like that other trio, Hüsker Dü. But I'm not going to fault a band for lacking originality when their music is this well done. This is super- melodic guitar/ bass/ drum noise of the highest order.

Like the Kingston Trio, Solar Coaster do have an amazing way with the chord change; unlike the Kingston Trio, Solar Coaster play their chords on an electric guitar with the distortion pedal to the metal, running the whole shebang through what have to be some killer vintage tube amps. How else to explain the incredible beauty of this ringing, trebly, wall- of- sound guitar tone? And zipping around beneath that guitar is a nimble, kinetic rhythm section that keeps these short (only four of the album's 20 songs run longer than three minutes), fast tunes moving. Wow, I love it.

Also like the Kingston Trio, Solar Coaster write wonderfully tuneful melodies; unlike the Kingston Trio, it's hard to hear what frontman Kevin Hurley is singing about, since his voice is buried like a shimmering case of spent plutonium, miles beneath a protective layer of noise. But even at these depths, there's no mistaking that the songwriting is strong as hell. Maybe Solar Coaster are angry, and maybe not-- I can't understand a damn thing. But again, I love it. And if you like melodic, noisy guitar rock that bears little resemblance to the Kingston Trio, you'll love it, too.

-Mark Richard-San

"Plastic Heart Grenade"

[Real Audio Stream]