Positive Approach - Just Hang On (1989)
I was surprised to actually buy this for under £4 a year or so ago as I was asking around like a maniac for mp3s to no avail for a couple years prior. Was it worth the £4 or so that I payed for it? Sure, it's a cool record, came with an insert and whatnot.Positive Approach were a straight-edge hardcore punk group from California, USA. As far as i'm aware, this is their only release, which is a shame because this is some rad stuff. Positive Approach don't play super fast INFEST style, nor do they play classic Minor Threat style. They're more in line of the youth-crew bands, some great melodic tunes, if a bit generic. But lets be honest, no one listens to this music to hear the wheel be reinvented.
Obviously this band was a tight unit, there's some rad stop/start moments, dynamic shifts, as well
as the typical youth-crew mid-pace to fast tempos going on. I can hear some slight metal-damage going on in with some of the guitar work, nothing to really note, just some harmonic dives.
The appropriately named 'Intro' blares out heavy chords that eventually break into hardcore fury. Already I like the bass tone, its slightly distorted, probably through volume, but has good definition.
'Never Alone Again', while being the shortest song, is a good indication of what they're going for. Some hardcore, some mid-paced youth crew chugs, and a good sense of melody.'What Will Happen Next' fades in with a catchy chord progression for the first minute and then kicks into gear, only to come back down, chugging the intro riff til the cows come home. 'Just Hang On' has that metal-damaged guitar harmonic dive bomb which then goes into a typical youth-crew style riff, very similar to the riff from the previous song to be honest. 'Its Not the Same' is probably the catchiest song, it starts off pretty fast but then transitions into an atypical slow chord progression with gang chant vocals. 'Now I Know' has a clean guitar intro, which makes me think of Turning Point's emo direction, but that thought soon gets squashed as they rip into their trademark style. The closer 'Strong But Wrong' is another exercise in youth crew hardcore, decent, it has a mix of
mid paced riffs, fast sections, and cool band dynamics (rhythm section cutting out and whatnot).
Overall, this is a good record. Fans of youth crew style hardcore should definitely give this a listen as Positive Approach have a really cool melodic style with a nice 'punk' production value to boot.
Linky, Link:
https://mega.co.nz/#!ZQwDXBQI!srH6mRpvqt8ZHaWkVMWPTLsqoQ3OV9rcHGGdrvGx_LQ
