Imagine Violent Femme’s Gordon Gano fronting The Only Ones. If you are familiar with either of those names I just dropped, that should get you into the door of Big Store. If taking your name from a Jacobites song is a declaration of influences, I can hear it. But you can name drop and make marketing comparisons until your blue in the face. Rock ain’t dead. It’s just that so many are flogging a dead horse when they should be administering life support. Well, this is the welcome sound of EMT’s arriving on the scene.  

The opener, “Got Enough Rope” grabs you by the throat and won’t let go. “My Rainy Day” has a great blend of sneer and barbed wit. But let’s face it, wit and sneer is nothing without some vulnerability behind it to lend substance. We aren’t listening to some wanna be tough guy bitching, so much as a shy guy throwing his heart out there. Staring at the back wall or the floor instead of the camera or groupie in the front row. 

“What You Wanted” nails the music biz in any generation and might just be a slap in the face to anyone with a Me or America First attitude, “Who’s really on your side when they’re in it for themselves?”  The Darkest Night” is an album highlight. Soaring, killer hooks and lyrics looking for a way out.  “The sun comes up and you find you’re all alone,” says it all. If Rock and Roll is all about chasing after something you never can quite get ahold of, then this is it. And despite any song’s claims of “Occupational Burnout”, this the sound of someone just getting started. 

“Gas Food Lodging” is pure Power Pop bliss and in a just world would be a hit. As it stands, it could easily be the song that catches your ear during your fave Netflix show. 

The closer, “Make It Go Away” seems to sum up this album’s major theme. This album is all about escape. Escape from all the shit dragging you down. And while it manages to make a clean break for it, the final destination is still up in the air. As it should be. All endings should just be beginnings. 

When it comes to Big Store, I have to say it’s refreshing to hear a band approaching Rock & Roll without pretension or self-conscious contrivance. Which, seems to be the zeitgeist of today’s popular music climate. Well, Big Store has your alternative. Here’s to pushing your cart in and happy shopping.

-Kevin Orton

The Big Store is a power pop/punk rock n’ roll trio hailing from beautiful Long Beach, California that has just released their self-titled debut The Big Store. I don’t know if they named themselves after the lesser but still hilarious Marx Brothers movie, but that reference works for me!

The band members are Baron Norris (guitar/vocals), Chris Barfield (bass) and Hiroshi Yamazaki (drums). The band came together over a shared interest in the bands The Only Ones, The Libertines, The Gun Club and especially The Heartbreakers. For me there’s a definite Heartbreakers angle, but in a general sense Norris sings like Lou Reed and bassist Chris Barfield has a sharp, Rickenbacker bass sound like Chris Squire or McCartney. The songs are quick and full of punk and ’90s energy, and the album is over way before you expect or want it to be. They note that their songs reference “…the everyday frustrations of work, living paycheck to paycheck, the banality of today's interest in reality TV and web celebrities. There are also healthy doses of film noir and vintage crime references.”

For recording, the performances were captured mostly live over two days with vocals and overdubs added in the next two weeks at Suplex Audio in downtown Los Angeles with producer Manny Nieto. The producer “…wanted to capture the group live as a unit with a vintage grit and avoid the modern polish that can date an album.” Baron’s guitars were played through his own home-built pedals and tube amps, with an original Echoplex EP-3 also on hand. The band notes that the mics at Suplex are truly vintage, the same types used to record Bowie and The Rolling Stones. For me it sounds nice and crunchy, though it feels designed more for speakers than headphones. A vinyl release is planned, which should sound even better.

“Got Enough Rope” starts us off with fast punk energy but with plenty of melodic fuzz guitar runs that expand the group’s basic sound. As noted, guitarist and singer Norris has a deadpan Lou Reed delivery which fits the music perfectly, while Barfield’s bass and Yamazaki’s drums effortlessly nail down the rhythm. “Anything At All” almost seems like a new middle section to the previous song, as it matches that song’s energy and mix almost perfectly. Very funny punk-nihilist lyrics: “I don't care about anything at al/ I don't care how it went with John or Paul / I don't want to hear your thoughts on the New York Dolls.” Norris doubles his hardcore guitar licks flawlessly.

“My Rainy Day” has a great bouncy main riff for a song about saving for “a rainy day” when you could be hit by a train at any moment. “Saving for the future, the future got away!” I like how Norris uses his “lead guitar” moments not for flashy soloing, but to build interesting cross-melodies and harmonies.  “The Drag” kicks in at drag-racing tempo with a thick, compressed mix of guitars that still leaves plenty of room for Barfield’s busy bass. “Better Than What?” changes things up slightly with a cool jungle beat but with an even more prominent bass track. 

I’m by no means a Heartbreakers expert, but “The Darkest Night” seems to show their influence with a borderline pop-rock feel and almost melodic vocals! Once again the sheets of electric guitars seem to burst from the speakers like a sparking electric blanket. “Occupational Burnout” carries on the same consistent sound as most of the other songs but with a sweet, jangly guitar refrain. “Gas Food Lodging” feels like The Beatles “Rain”  was slowed down and mixed through a fuzz box. Great idea to change the tempo at this point. “Make It All Go Away” closes the album with more high energy Heartbreaker musical echoes, featuring lyrics that could have been penned by Walter White.

All in all, a kick-ass collection of songs that does anything but wear out its welcome!

https://www.divideandconquermusic.com/indie-music-album-reviews/the-big-store-the-big-store