A Review of Cole: East Coast Rocker NJ (10/98) THE FIENDZ / Cole reviewed by - Chris Uhl "I'm tongue-tied in such a good way. You know when you're excitedly telling a friend about a new record you really dig, and then he asks you what it sounds like and your response is something like, ummm...uhh, it's like, uhh...I don't know, it rocks more- but it's, I don't know it's just awesome!" It's a good thing I'm a writer, being so articulate and all. Anyway, this is one of those discs that gets the easy sweeping summation of "it's awesome." I'll boldly go on lamely attempting to expand on that, (once again, good thing I'm a writer). Produced by chief Meenie knob-twiddler Tim Gilles, "Cole" is by far the most sophisticated, deep production I've heard spring from the Black Pumpkin patch. Incorporating everything from horns ("Scene") to Hammond Organ ("Listen To Me"), this is a rare punk record, equally satisfying on your headphones baked in your bedroom, as it is blasting through your car speakers. Not many records in any genre can stake both claims. The aforementioned "Scene" also offers some kind advice for superficial trend-hoppers: "you say you like the music, but you don't even care/talking sh*t, wasting time, only looking to get signed/dressing up, party time, what are you gonna wear?" Amidst the darting from ska-tinged uber-melodies such as "One I Dream About," and the unapologetically hook-drenched Teenage Fanclub-like harmonic swagger of "I Will Be Saved," are the experimental left turns of the near industrial percussive clatter of "Is This All A Dream?" and the jazzy, organ-spiked instrumental (and superbly titled), "Jack's Bistro." Though this record goes out on a limb, pushing the boundaries of accepted punk melody into the unknown and back, they don't lose sight of how to rock. Close-minded punks who strictly adhere to the 4/4, verse-chorus-verse school of songwriting, this is not for you. Any music fan into creative, musically liberating rock and roll, get on your horse and go pick up "Cole". Is progressive punk a contradiction in terms? Is punk a valid musical form that can be expanded upon or are there strict stylistic guidelines to adhere to? While many of today's so-called "cutting edge", "avant garde" and "alternative" bands are actually quite conservative, The Fiendz are constantly out on a musical limb. The Fiendz new record, Cole, is an aggressive, genre-bending rollercoaster, including elements of punk, pop, progressive rock, and doo-wop. You could say it's progressive punk, or PRONK, as they're calling it in the UK. Like the band's previous releases, Cole is another step in a new direction and coincidentally their best album to date. The Fiendz are an anachronism in the image-based, superficial music culture of today. Living Frank Zappa's credo "only in it for the music" for over a decade, the band has proved that it is still possible to achieve success on your own terms.