To say the least, I've had a bad week. I had to go to the doctor for a burning sensation in my lower torso. When the doctor says, "We're going to have to stick some things in you," buckle up. The bills made me broke. I blew most of my money on over- the- counter and prescription narcotics, acupuncture, massage therapy, etc. My other job hasn't been giving me any money. No freelance jobs have been coming in. It's rained like a son- of- a- bitch. My car needs new brakes. I needed some good music to review to cheer me up. But for some reason, I knew that my negativity would rub off into this review. So in comes Foil's Spread It All Around. A small foil- lookin' sticker on the jewel- case proclaimed "Ewan McGregor playing Pixies guitar over GVSB's bass grooves with Dave Grohl's muscular drumming." Now, okay. Those are four things that I really enjoy. I'd hoped these boys could live up to those lofty claims. But after several listens, I concluded the cover quote to be greatly exaggerated. I thought it should read something more along the lines of "Hugh Grant playing Bush guitars over STP's bass grooves with Bill from your average local band on drums." You get three- chord punk- pop, melodic vocals with occasional screaming, thundering percussion, and over- production-- all for the low, low price of $13.99.

As the week progressed, though, I met a girl. I've had the best time of my life. I've been on cloud nine. Foil sounds a lot better these days. I tapped my toes. The cover quote seemed to fit. The bass lines were slinky and propulsive. The guitars clanged in a good way with the occasional noisy outburst. The singer ranted on like a true soccer bloke, and brought to mind my days in seedy pubs. As far as British hard rock goes, it was "quite top." Of course, I feel obligated to say that there are American bands that do this schtick better (i.e. GVSB), but if you want a dose of the Queen's English and some slightly above- average modern rock, Foil just might do. Of course, it all depends on how your week is going...

-Brent DiCrescenzo