The members of HOLLOW named their latest CD Something to Abuse,
and if I wanted to punch holes in it, I could probably abuse the shit
out of this self-produced cliche-fest all night. Rather than do that,
I'll try to look at the positive side of this Long Island-based band's
offering.
For a three-piece band, they have a relatively meaty sound...and
whether that's the way they sound live or if it's attributed to a lot
of studio overdubs, I don't know, but it's nice and chunky. As far as
the songwriting goes, well... that's where my main criticism is. I've
been to a handful of little biker-filled bars in my lifetime, and the
music that was playing in every one of them (give or take a few)
sounded just like Hollow. crunch-rock guitar riffs, grizzled vocals,
and lyrics about fighting,screwing, setting fires, and/or riding a
motorcycle. Hollow has managed to re-create the biker bar sound
perfectly, but I don't know what the market for biker bar music
is...other than being played live in biker bars. It's decent for what
it is, but as far as mass-appeal goes, Hollow has a long way to go.
