Review: The Brains - "Zombie Nation"
If there’s one point worth mentioning about the Brains (and there are actually multiple), it’s that they aren't Bad. Nope. Three white dudes from Canada playing psychobilly. But they’re not bad either, and exhibit both a musical proficiency and adept songwriting skills on their fourth release, Zombie Nation. The Quebecois act doesn't shy away from their culture at all, either, slipping the entirely French “Après Cette Nuit” ("After This Night") in the middle of their otherwise English tracklist. The language doesn't matter a ton--one can imagine it’s probably the same campy horror imagery of the rest of the album--and it would even seem that the Brains aren't particularly concerned with getting a message across. In lieu of lyrics, the insert booklet instead folds out to a spread of three bodacious zombie babes, open lacerations and all. What’s particularly impressive about Zombie Nation is the musicianship that fuses guitar licks and chord progressions straigh...