1988: The Original Demos
Omnivore, 2021
9/10
Listen to 1988: The Original Demos
Though The Bootheels existed for a very short time, with a line up consisting of Luther Russell (Those Pretty Wrongs), Jakob Dylan and Tobi Miller (The Wallflowers) and Aaron A. Brooks (Moby, Lana Del Rey), they possessed the talent to make a lasting impression despite only being active for a few months.
A record that pulls together demos and rehearsal recordings, this lone release from The Bootheels highlights young musicians on the rise and figuring out their place in music world, and it’s a wild ride from beginning to end.
“See It In Your Eyes” starts the listen raw and fiercely melodic as the band play with power and grit in a sloppy punk rock sort of way, and “Think Called Love” follows with a calmer approach that thumps playfully amid guitar work that far exceeds your typical high school band.
Deeper into the listen, “The Deal” illustrates the band sounding wiser than their years as they hint at what would be come of their careers later in life, while “Interstate 68 Blues” is a gritty garage rocker that's aged quite well. “Got Me On My Knees”, one of the album’s best, then offers a scrappy punk rock inspired tune that certainly wouldn’t be out place on a mixtape with some late period Replacements.
“Queen Of Hearts” lands near the end, and showcases Russell’s unique vocals amid a punchy and reckless delivery, and “Too Many People” continues with the anthem that Paul Westerberg forgot to write. The 3 bonus tracks are even more primitive, and allows the youngsters to channel their inner punk rock heroes with much success.
The Bootheels only played 2 formal shows, and 3 of the members were under the age of 18. It would have been interesting to see how these songs were received had they been released in the late ‘80s, but as far as 2021 goes, well, they sound imperfectly perfect, energetic with both intensity and restraint, and sonically charged in a way that’s eternally youthful and a lot of fun.
Travels well with: The Wallflowers- Exit Wounds; Jiffy Marx- She’s My Witch/Warning Sign 7”