…IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR…

Despite the fact that the recent Bang!Bang! 7″ release party at Alvin’s cost me my eyesight for a week-and-a-half (thank you, Mr. Idiot Jumping Into Random Unsuspecting Audience Members), Big Matt, Publisher Ryan and myself all admittedly enjoyed the show. As an added bonus, the band was kind enough to donate a free copy of the 7″ to everyone who paid to get in that night (a gesture not lost on the MCR crew, all of whom tend to spend what little spending money we have on cheap booze or greasy food).

MCR’s collective hats simply must be tipped to the A-side here – regardless of how gruff or abrasive Dave Graw’s vocals might seem, “1977″ is still one of Detroit’s best tracks this summer. The rhythm guitar riff is insanely infectious, and the song only gets better when the crunching rhythm chords chug in behind it. Repeated listens of the track do nothing but solidify it’s position as a local hardcore rock anthem of sorts (a feat the band already seems to have accomplished once before with It’s Choking Me’s anti-Bush rant, “Problems”). The b-side is admittedly just a filler track (albeit a tightly performed one), though the band’s choice to cover The Wipers’ “Mystery” seems to say something positive about the band’s influences.

I hate sounding like some fanboy, but “1977″ easily ranks amongst the handful of tracks I’d define as ‘must-listens’ for 2004. Even without a B-side, this 7″ is well worth the few greenbacks you’ll plunk down for it. While you’re at the record store, be sure to try to track down a copy of The Wipers’ Is This Real?, a solid record that still to this day doesn’t receive the accolades it deserves.