recorded september 1998 - april 1999 at sonic iguana studio in lafayette, in
recorded and produced by mass giorgini and horace pinker
released june 2000 jump up! records
scott eastman - guitar|vocals
bryan jones - drums
matt arluck - guitar
karl eifrig - bass|vocals
pop culture failure story
recorded over the course of a year and took another year to release it.
i think this record is more akin to power tools than to 'burn tempe to the ground'
and it features a return to a two-guitar attack fueled by the addition of
californian matt arluck. our friend and part-time spiritual adviser karl
'the hammer' eifrig helped to write and record the album, and
wrote some awesome bass lines (although he actually prefers the guitar in
his other outfit lynyrd's innards). i think 'second best' is the
flagship of the record, so check it out, we hope you like it. -scott
pop culture failure reviews
all music guide
this album, horace pinker's third full-length, created a bit of confusion upon its release in june 2000,
for not only did the set boast a quite different sound, but a different lineup from their copper regret ep,
which arrived just two months earlier. in fact, the release dates were deceptive: the album predated the ep,
having been recorded between fall 1998 and early spring 1999. earlier in 1998, bassist miguel barron departed
the band, just as new guitarist matt arluck arrived. keen to get into the studio, lynyrd's innards bassist karl
eifrig was brought in as a stopgap, but ended up making significant contributions to pop culture failure,
co-writing a number of the tracks. however, by the time the pinkers came to record copper regret, eifrig had been
replaced by the newly recruited chris bauermeister. in any event, the album is more than just a snapshot in time,
and takes the band to a grand new level of musicianship, songwriting, and performance. the entire set fizzes with
energy and bristles with intent, encompassing a wider spectrum of styles than listeners would expect from horace pinker,
as the band shifts agilely from the jubilant punk rock of "second best" to the pummeling hardcore of "doorway" to the
fist-in-the-air power ballad opening of "refined" to the pop/rock and punk of "nothing at all." the entire album is
drenched in strong melodies and awash in equally powerful emotions, with some of the numbers straying straight into
emo territory. unusually for this genre, though, the intensity of delivery is matched by the depth of the band's sharply
edged lyrics. the guitar work is its equal, whether roaring through "closed" or tossing out rousing rock leads and chiming,
poppier chords. the rhythm section is solid as a rock, but as exhilarating as fireworks on the fourth of july. all in all,
pop culture failure is a superb set that deserves to punt the pinkers straight to punk superstardom.
jo-ann greene
punknews.org: a near
decade of countless tours, writing and just releasing kick ass music has solidified this bands' place in powerful,
emotional and melodic punks' history books. this is only their 3rd full length, but it shows incredible growth as a band
since 96's burn tempe to the ground. well, a lot has and has not changed in those 4 years, the music on pcf is much more
down-tempo than their earlier efforts...but allows way more melody and accessibility. not to mention the addition of a 2nd
guitarist a few years back, the rhythms sound more full, and not quite as crunchy.
once again, i'm not gonna go into that standout song speech, because each song is great, and has it's own character. you
basically have songs that lean more toward a punk-pop perspective, "second best" "closed" "extra step" "motor one" then your
fast tracks "supposed to" "doorway" and "seven hours" and a few in between.
well, to cap it off i see hp to be largely underated, such great music should reach a wider audience definitley. good
arrangement of songs, complex melodies and some awesome hooks. produced, mixed and mastered by "the man" mass giorgini, hp
pulls it off yet again as they have managed to do so many times before. give pcf an undivided listen...shows great maturity
and originality. also the copper regret ep released prior to pcf. both are just rad albums.
punkupdates.com
i was the lucky person that got the honor of putting these guys on stage in 1995 over here in belgium.
not a lot of people showed up, but even now, half a decade later, that wouldn't be a big surprise for
many of you. well, maybe you came across them on one of the many compilations they appear on or the split
they did with face to face. they even did a 7" for fat wreck chords once. if they follow the path they are
heading with this new release however, it'll be just a matter of time to get them where they belong: with
the big names. this album was already recorded at sonic iguana studios during sept 1998 - april 1999, and
wasn't released through onefoot records as intended, but ended up with jump off records who released the
thing in june 2000. some of you might have heard chris bauermeister (ex-jawbreaker bassist) joined the band,
but this was only after they recorded this one. meanwhile a cdep copper regret has been released by coldfront
records that does feature the new member, but i didn't have the chance to pick that one up. since 1998 matt
arluck joined hp, so he did guitar on this one. well then, what's it like you say? i think it's a masterpiece.
scott eastman's vocals are so much more harmonic and strong as on power tools. the biggest difference though
surely is that there's now 2 guitars instead of just one and it makes the sound so much thicker. on top of that
the songs are much more refined and the production is really superior to their early stuff. hp doesn't write
according to the "unisong"-theory as they say themselves: some songs are poppy (second best), some are emo-like (
motor one) and a couple are hardcore in some way (doorway). so this cd never bores. lyrics are written thoughtfully,
no big issues here, mostly about personal feelings i guess. i swear, this is a band to look out for in months and
years to come. this album just deserves your attention. take my word. - hein terweduwe
jersey beat
nietchze said, 'that which does not kill me only serves to make me stronger' or some such thing. that quote certainly applies to
the venerable horace pinker, a band that's been together almost nine years and has been based in cities as diverse
as mesa, arizona and chicago, illinois (although frontman scott eastman is now residing in boston!). although the band
successfully survived the demise of mid 90's pop-punk with finesse, their touring schedule was certainly affected in
the last few years by the band finding themselves on the receiving end of a bad reputation as a bunch of ill-tempered,
smart-ass ingrates. however, even if horace pinker consisted of four vicious fuckers, it is an undeniable fact that
their newest effort 'pop culture failure' is as fine as a record as any around. while these are undoubtedly melodic punk
songs, there is a general feeling of melancholy throughout the album's eleven tracks, sort of a samiam vibe but way more
invigorating. lyrics bear out a protagonist who's definitely disappointed in himself and full of doubts; however, vocalist
scott eastman should have the world by the balls as he possesses not only a signature vocal style but his harmonic guitar
makes an h.p. song instantly recognizable as well. the recent addition of a second guitar has only fattened the band's sound
over their previous full lengths, this one being the band's third (on just as many labels!). i'll be listening to this quite
a bit more - johnny puke
EXCLAIM
One of the problems with pop punk is that there are so many damn bands out there it's hard to keep up. The unfortunate result is
that some guys get left out in the cold in favour of the Blink 182's of the world. Horace Pinker is one of those bands. They've
been around for close to ten years and evolved through several line-up changes. Originally from California, they now reside in
Chicago and they're back after a three year absence and joined by former Jawbreaker bassist Chris Bauermeister, although he didn't
play on this record. The material on this is a good blend of Down By Law, Jawbreaker and some of that Fat/Epitaph style pop that
the kids are going wild for. Makes you wonder why they're not a lot bigger.
- Rob Ferraz EXCLAIM
planetska.com
why am i reviewing a non-ska record on a ska website?? it's quite simple, there are a few reasons.
1: same reason this was released on a ska label.. this album fucking rocks!
2: most ska fans listen to lots of other kinds of music too, punk being one of the more common genres.
3: cuz i can. so here we go..
this is a great album. you can really hear the talent come through on this, thanks to the crisp production on it.
these guys have an incredible song-writing ability that showcases all the member's talents equally, yet distinctively.
the songs mesh together so nicely, you can tell they are veterans & have working hard as a team. this is not a one-man
band. all the parts interweave in & out of each other perfectly, & you swear you've heard it all before.. the classic
guitar pick/string slide, the feedback, the breakdowns, the fast parts.. yet it all sounds fresh & new to me at the same
time. the voice kinda reminds me of face to face during his singing parts, but when he busts into a scream, watch out.
great lyrics that you can really relate to, & having the lyrics printed in the liner notes always gets a plus in my book.
the drums are great too, combined with the bass they are right on, holding the whole thing together solid. then my
favorite part, the guitars.. ah yes, sweet distortion & ass-kicking riffs. the dual-guitars complement each other very
nicely, weaving in & out of each other, over & under, these guys know how to write this stuff extremely well. i love
this stuff. as a whole, you get it all, some new sounds, some sweet melodies, some driving beats, some great breakdowns,
some screaming fast parts, aggression mixed with melody in a modern punk rock sound. i highly recommend this to anyone
who digs stuff like jawbreaker, farside and face to face, but don't be misled, this is not a "sounds like those bands"
type of record, they definitely have their own thing going on, & man.. is it going on!
impact press
it has been a while since hp's last full-length release. the wait was worthwhile as pop culture failure is a solid,
melodic power-punk release for this chicago-based four-some. they've gone through many lineup changes but their sound
has remained the same: fast-paced, catchy, tempo-changing punk rock with passionate vocals. they recently added chris
(ex-jawbreaker) to the lineup (although he doesn't play on this album). over nine years of playing out has turned hp
into one of the better punk bands that, unfortunately, not enough people know about.
recorded september 1998 - april 1999 at sonic iguana studio in lafayette, in
