Title: God Loves a Sinner
Artist: Greatdayforup
Label: CD Baby
Product Type: COMPACT DISCS
UPC: 606737075122
Genre: Rock

_____ MARCH 2004 SOUND MONITOR REVIEW OF GDFU'S GOD LOVES A SINNER GREATDAYFORUP Godlovesasinner EP (Curve of the Earth) cote751 greatdayforup are an outfit from the northwest US (Albany, NY), who play driving stoner-style rock with a hardcore mentality, and obviously love peeling off monster riffs at high volume as much as they hate punctuation. From track one of this album you will be hooked. The first few bars have those filtered, low-volume effects that make you think maybe your speaker's not plugged in right, and has you reaching for the volume knob. Then it kicks in for real - and what a sound it is. A deep, rich chug that will bring a smile to the face of any heavy music fan lucky enough to hear it. 'goldenarms' is the name of this classic opening track. Well-written and perfectly executed, with a plaintive chorus that sticks in your brain, and a couple of seriously crushing riffs to boot. 'hanginonarope' is a bit slower, less straight down the line, but equally effective. Another HEEE-YUGE chorus is the highlight here. 'below' is a slightly poppier rock song, with a rollicking 'Gonna Leave You' type of feel, enhanced by the aaaaaah-aaaaaaah-aaaaaaaah backing vocals. The last track is most interesting. It's a longer track, with an awesome kung fu film sample at the start ('A priest who does karate!'). The drums usher in another big chugalug riff and some distorted vocals. After a minute or two it all slows down a few notches, and a slower, staggering, doomy tempo kicks in, complemented by an extended, swirling solo. Distant vocals float on the chaotic maelstrom. Greatdayforup manage to take their influences from the pantheon of modern greats, add their own spit and Polish to the package, and pull it off more than convincingly. Imagine Helmet playing QOTSA-style rock with Pete Stahl on vocals. Now, if I ever manage to sneak my way into heaven, that is the band I want playing a nightly gig. An accomplished release from a bright new talent. Make sure you chase it up. By Matt Harris _____ JANUARY 2004 THE NOISE (BOSTON) REVIEW OF GDFU'S GOD LOVES A SINNER GREATDAYFORUP Curve of the Earth Godlovesasinner 7 songs Listening to Greatdayforup is better than a day spent at a flea-bitten carnival taunting run-down spastic freaks who don't try very hard. Much better. Much, much better. In fact, I haven't heard anything this furious since Moving Targets. Fronted by Mike Vitali, formerly of Ajna Chakra, Greatdayforup is a bunch of angry fellows playing inventively angry music in an angrily inventive way. I'll bet they'd all play with their arms folded defiantly across their chests, if they could. Um, and as I listen to 'Siempre,' I'm getting pretty angry myself. In fact, I'm beginning... to... sputter... with... irrational... inarticulate... RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE! Which sure beats the sweetly reasonable, articulate kind or rage so popular nowadays. I suspect that, politically, these fellows are MC5-style anarcho-syndicalists somewhere to the left of Bakunin, but that's okay---better Red than Dread, I always say. Like The MC5, their rigorous but never strident aural manifestos, like, for instance, 'Below,' have a tendency to unsubtly hijack your autonomous nervous system. You probably can't tell, but I'm still twitching. And I may never eradicate their hard-charging minimalist manifestos from my cerebrum, in which my memories are stored. In fact, you might even say that right now, Greatdayforup are the Big Men on Hippocampus! (Francis DiMenno)

Tracks:
1.1 Golden Arms
1.2 -
1.3 Hangin on a Rope
1.4 Bubbles
1.5 Below
1.6 Rescue the Worms
1.7 Siempre