Cassette Review: Adam! France "Glory Days" (Captain Crook Records)

[$3 // Edition of 25 // https://captaincrookrecords.bandcamp.com/album/glory-days]

"This parking lot was my starting spot and my finish line, well, I just don't know" is one of the lyrics you can pull from this collection of songs from Adam! France known as "Glory Days".    Of course when I think of "Glory Days", Bruce Springsteen comes to mind and though this does have that same underlying quality of blue collar ethic to it there are few comparisons to Springsteen otherwise.

Adam! France, which appears to be the name of a solo artist named Adam France, is a voice and a guitar at its very core.   At times the acoustic sounds can be dark while at other times they can have that country sound come through.    It's folk, it's punk and, yes, at times it is even folk punk with the best of them.     Vocally, it has that baritone feel that reminds me of something like Alkaline Trio.

The songs themselves- about pain, finding yourself and all of that which comes with life- fall somewhere between that acoustic Bayside CD, that one song by Rise Against about swinging life away and of course Against Me!'s "Eternal Cowboy".     It's something that varies in pace, sometimes slower and more casual and other times faster and harder, and as such it never really gets boring or seems to repeat itself throughout the fifteen songs- which is quite an accomplishment considering there are really only two elements involved.  

After listening to this cassette several times, I will tell you that I find it hard to stop but also I find it to be somewhat personal.   I imagine Adam! France as traveling around, playing his music, and all he really needs is his car and his guitar (like that Say Anything song).   In this way, I don't picture him as having a road crew, any other members of the band and just overall people who would come with you when you play shows.    Nope, not even a merch girl-- he'd just leave up a sign during his set and ask the merch person at the table next to him to watch over it.

With that, I imagine Adam! France as spending a lot of time in a lot of cities by himself, the thought of which is kind of cool to me as opposed to what most people might think of as being lonely.    So if you can- if you have the means- I would recommend listening to this cassette through headphones but also put it in your Walkman and take a walk around outside for maximum enjoyment.