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Fizz reviews Rhino Bucket's Who's Got Mine?"

RHINO BUCKET: Who's Got Mine (Acetate)

Rating: 8.0

So I thought I would try a little experiment with this one. I'm going to see if I can make it to the end of this review without naming the band that Rhino Bucket is forever being compared to (if you don't know, check out my review of their last album). Think I can do it? Only one way to find out! Let's begin!

Who's Got Mine is RHino Bucket's sixth full-length studio album, and third since 2006. The lineup has remained largely intact through the "Mach II" period, with only a game of musical drumstools. This time, it's Anthony "Tiny" Biuso behind the kit, but singer/guitarist Georg Dolivo and bassist Reeve Downes have been with the band since their 1990 debut, and former Kix guitarist Brian Forsythe has been onboard for all the post-millennial albums. The sound is pretty much the same as it's always been: "three chords and a cloud of dust," as Dolivo likes to put it. Rock-steady rhythms, simple but infectious power-chord riffs, and Brian Forsythe's always tasty leads. His style with Rhino Bucket is actually a bit different than the way he played in Kix, with his twangy Telecaster tone giving the music a somewhat southern feel despite their L.A. habitat. Meanwhile, Georg continues to veer away from the raspy scream he used to frequently employ on the band's earlier material, in favor of a slurring croon, whicch always seems to put me in mind of a pissed-off, hungover Tom Petty. It goes perfectly with his sneering lyrics, though. "Take your lipstick and little top," he grumbles at some chick on album-opener "Message In My Bottle." "Keep on walkin'--don't you ever stop."

That track begins what is immediately a more upbeat set of songs than 2009's The Hardest Town. I thought that record ended on a down note, with several oddly morose songs and only a handful of outright burners. Dolivo's newfound laid-back style of singing keeps some of the tracks from being complete ball-busters, but the effect isn't entirely bad. "Message In My Bottle," with its singsongy verses and cowbell-laced groove, is a nice start, but the second track, "Lifeline," is when the band really breaks out. Funny-but-true lyrics (and there are a LOT of words to this song) tell a warped chicks-equal-trouble tale, rising in pitch and intensity with each verse until exploding into a great chorus, topped off with a foot-stomping rhythm and an almost countrified solo.

"Back To Nowhere" and "Rare Beauty" are mid-paced cruisers with more gang voccals, while "Her Way" and the excellently-titled "Drive Thru Liquor" kick the tempo back up.

The disc's title track is plodding in a good way, and seems like it could be a spiritual and musical cousin to Bucket buddies (and frequent showmates) American Dog's "Mean." "Traded my amp for guns and gold," Georg tells us in what's almost more of a lament for the little guy rather than an anthem. "He's got his, you got yours ... Who the fuck has mine?"

Two of the best tracks hail from the album's latter half. "Chase The Case" is more typical high-spirited Rhino Bucket, while Georg cracks himself a beer, mumbles something snide, and burps, before heading back into one of the record's catchiest and most fist-pumping choruses. "Hollywood and Wine" follows suit with another indelible riff and strong chorus.

Lyrically, the band continues to have their feet planted firmly in the gutter, spinning those noirish tales of loner life in the city. Trouble is never too far away, which gives the songs a little more depth than your typical party-all-the-time fare that often accompanies this style of music. Rhino Bucket's world is one of dive bars, cheap motels, and bad-news bitches, het they do it in a way that rings more true than your average bunch of suburban kids fooling around in a basement after reading The Dirt and watching a few slasher films. If anything, the band's collective outlook seems to have gotten even more cantankerous.

Overall, I found Who's Got Mine to be an improvement over The Hardest Town, more consistently catchy and memorable. It may not be quite as good as 2006's excellent comeback album And Then It Got Ugly, but it's not too far off, either. A couple songs seem a little too similar to others on the disc, in a literal way ("Her Way" and "Rare Beauty" seem to replicate "Lifeline" and "Back To Nowhere" a little too closely). A couple others just don't stand out, and I kinda miss Georg's nasty screech. But you could toss this disc in with the most recent work by Broken Teeth, American Dog, and Nashville Pussy, and have yourself hours of good, dirty, beer-swilling, ass-kicking fun.

P.S. I did it! I didn't mention that other, very famous band once!

Best songs: "Lifeline," "Chase The Case"

Worst song: "Nothin' For Nothin'"