in-cheek travel song “No Good
Way” about the perils of driving in
Jersey, “PA Fight Song,” a Flying
Burrito Brotherseque ode to the
Keystone State, and Todd Rund-
gren-meets-Cheap Trick-like title
track that carries the dying Ameri-
can dream on the backs of Frost’s
ants add greatly to “Ichor of Net-
tle.” But that leaves three tracks
– the bass-driven, reggae-rooted,
surf-tinged “All Rise (The Ballad
of Sonny Liston),” the poppy love
song “All Wrapped Up,” and the
boring, awkward ballad “Low Rest-
ing Heart Beat” – that could have
been left off and utilized as pro-
motional fodder. Of those three,
the 15th track (whew!), “Low Rest-
ing Heart Beat,” doesn’t deserve
to be among the other great and
good songs at all. Ironically, on the
closer, the band is redeemed by
the devil.
Via Chorba’s FDR Label, “Ichor
of Nettle” and four-song compan-
ion EP, “Red Bank,” featuring live
NJ STAGE 2017 - Vol. 4 No. 9
in-studio versions of “Sam Hous-
ton,” “Misguiding Light,” “Shit that
Weighs You Down,” and “PA Fight
Song,” coincide with a celebratory
show on Oct. 20 at The Record
Collector in Bordentown with for-
mer label mates The Paper Jets.
The Successful Failures also will
perform on Oct. 13 and Nov. 17
at Tir Na Nog, Trenton; Nov. 3 at
the International Pop Overthrow at
The Vault at Victor Records, Berlin,
N.J., and Nov. 25 at Boot & Sad-
dle, Philadelphia.
w
Bob Makin is the reporter
for www.MyCentralJersey.com/
entertainment and a former man-
aging editor and still a contribu-
tor to The Aquarian Weekly, which
launched this column in 1988.
Contact him at makinwaves64@
yahoo.com. Like Makin Waves
at www.facebook.com/makinwav-
escolumn
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