THE SAINTE CATHERINES
Dancing for Decadence
Fat Wreck Chords 2006
www.thesaintecatherines.org

What’s the 4-1-1?
Montreal’s The Sainte Catherines have been around since 1999, but this is their Fat Wreck Chords debut release. They are known for their hard-working, hard-drinking, and hard hitting brand of punk rock.

Genre
Punk / hard rock

The Good
Raw and weathered vocals compliment the driving guitar riffs and break-neck drums on “Burn Guelph Burn.” It’s the ultimate ‘up yours’ anthem. Despite its balls-to-the wall pace, “Ring of Fire = 4 Points” has quite an emotional message to it. If it’s a rebellion you’re looking for, look no further than the anthemic “Get Your Politics Out of My Hair.” The chorus is sure to generate mass shout-alongs at the live shows. “Emo-Ti-Cons: Punk Rock Expects” takes a direct shot at the glossed over rockers that claim to be punk. The Sainte Catherines put them right in the place with this one. I love the guitar progression on “I’d Rather Be Part of the Dying Bungee Scene.” It’s simple, but catchy. “Track and Field Style” delves into the life on a recovering addict.

The Bad
The song titles; too long and ridiculous.

The Verdict
On Dancing for Decadence, The Sainte Catherines come out swinging form the get-go with lots of energy, anger, and attitude.

Did You Know?
Guitarist Fred is employed full-time by Greenpeace, and vocalist Hugo is a janitor.

Rating: out of 5

--George Dionne