Bottle Rocket is the band’s third full length release, and although it clocks in at a lean 33 minutes packs a genuine punch and delivers ten driving and insistent numbers of consistent quality which leave the listener near breathless. They’re heavily indebted to early Replacements and Husker Du on opener ‘He Hates Me’ and “She’s All Fucked Up”, and the Buzzcocks on “On My Own”, but never to the point of dependency. The title track is harder and heavier with a blistering lead guitar, while “Save Your Machine” is close to metal with a featured solo which soars away leaving a spray of notes tantalizingly hanging in the air. Elsewhere, ‘Marktember Rain’ is a riot invoking both Rancid and the Dropkick Murphys, while the closing “Still All My Fault” drops the pace to something more rhythmic and Fugazi-esque (or even recalling fellow countrymen the Constantines). It’s always a joy to hear another top quality committed punk band paying due respect to their forebears while still moving the genre forward, and The Fabulous Kildonans are a very welcome addition to the family. That they seem to be yet another (albeit quite different) Canadian band to be admired is both intriguing and encouraging, and further evidence that it is a creative hotbed which we can’t afford to overlook.
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