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Not Enough Saturday Nights

River City High
Takeover Records

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River City High - Not Enough Saturday Nights There's a certain irony that's sure to dog any band that cleans up bar-band rock for the all-ages crowd like River City High does on Not Enough Saturday Nights. There is, of course, the matter of cleaning up dirty dive bar riffs for the safety of mall-punk ears that's a little odd, that begs ridicule.

Hacking on River City High for its teen-friendly sleaze rock is nothing new though: The Richmond, Va. band's endured those criticisms for years. With Not Enough Saturday Nights, however, it's as if the outfit's simply given up on trying to carve a place for itself in the trash-rock world, giving up on the real rock'n'roll to focus entirely on what its audience craves: gooey, easily digestible ear candy. It's a move that'll make the band a lot more friends on its next jaunt through the matinees and pre-curfew shows it's inhabited for years, but all but guarantees River City High's destined to be shut out of the rock world.

It's a Disney-safe, shopping-mall fresh twist on classic rock that dominates Not Enough Saturday Nights, moreso than on the act's previous efforts. And while the classic rock revival's embraced bands with similar roots -- Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, Skynyrd -- River City High doesn't pitch nostalgia or rock'n'roll salvation. It's all about the big pop hooks. The classic rock's just a new vehicle for melodic hooks that serve as marching orders for the pop-punk army. "Pass that Riff" manages to shamelessly yank from everything from "Suffragette City" and "Jailbreak" without finding even a shadow of David Bowie or Thin Lizzy's original power. As hard as the band tries to rock things up in "Dogwood Queen," it sounds more like a made-for-T.V soda commercial than a whiskey-shooting anthem, and "A Better Day" works better when it's accompanied by a silly pop-punk grin than a dose of cocky rock'n'roll snarl.

River City High finds a kid-friendly approach to classic rock that, while sticking to its licks, manages to gloss over everything grimy, sleazy and dangerous about the style. It's fine if you're down for virgin pina colladas, but anyone used to whiskey up will find Not Enough Saturday Nights too lightweight.

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Rating: not rated
This review is retarded, how can you criticize a band for trying to bring back Rock and Roll. Even if they did fail, it is still 10x better than any no-talent piece of shit emo band like Fall Out Boy or Senses Fail. Anne your stupid, stop reviewing articles and acting like you know something about music, what do you know about rock? after all... your just a woman..
posted by Chris on Nov 20, 2006

Rating: not rated
This review is retarded, how can you criticize a band for trying to bring back Rock and Roll. Even if they did fail, it is still 10x better than any no-talent piece of shit emo band like Fall Out Boy or Senses Fail. Anne your stupid, stop reviewing articles and acting like you know something about music, what do you know about rock? after all... your just a woman..
posted by Chris Cosby on Nov 20, 2006

Not Enough Saturday Nights

River City High Takeover Records

River City High
Takeover Records