Rip It Off - Stroke 9

This isn't a huge departure from the bands breakthrough album 'Nasty Little Thoughts' but with a band like Stroke 9 who have a great nack for penning unpretentious catchy little rock songs they are well within there right to hold on to a 'If it aint broke don't fix it' Mentality. With this album Stroke 9 have created another album filled with great pop hooks and quirkey lyrics that will pretty much appeal to anyone who is a fan of 90's Americana or just someone who likes there rock songs in catchy, easy to digest three minute bursts. From the punchy power pop of first single 'Kick Some Ass' (which was the lead song from the 'Jay and Silent Bob ...  Read the complete review

If you liked Stroke 9's previous album 'Nasty Little Thoughts' then you'll love this. 'Rip It Off' is in a similar vein and style so there aren't many surprises, but when the last album was so good, there's no need for this apple to fall too far from the tree. This album has something for everyone - the punk singles with catchy choruses and amusing lyrics (Latest Disaster, Kick Some ***), the intense anguished rock songs (Reject) and some very cool, chilled ballads (California). Also worth mentioning is the brilliant Do It Again, one of those songs that you can't get out of your head and that shows off a slightly larger vocal range than I aware Stroke 9 ...  Read the complete review

Stroke 9 grew out of a 'rock band' class in Marin County, California back in 1990 where Luke Esterkyn and Greg Gueldner first met. The first incarnation of the band came out of this class and lasted until the end of term. In Summer 1991, returning from college Luke & Greg failed to get their old band mates interested and recruited two new members, one of which was an old friend John McDermott. This new line up recorded their first 'album', sold by walking around malls playing the CD, at gigs and in local record stores. This sold pretty well and all 1000 copies disappeared. They put together another demo of their songs a year or so later and ...  Read the complete review