:: Goodnight Nurse - Keep Me On Your Side

Goodnight Nurse

From across the Tasman comes one of the surprise albums of 2008. Goodnight Nurse’s ‘Keep Me On Your Side’ is a vast improvement on their steady debut album and blows their tag of pop-punk right out of the water. These guys are heavier than that and this album shows they are the real deal. Although that is not surprising considering it has been produced by Lindsay Gravina, who has worked with The Living End and Shihad; and mastered by Ted Jensen who has worked with Simple Plan and is currently working with Metallica. The heavy nature of ‘Serpent Queen Pt 2’ comes as quiet a shock if you are expecting anything pop sounding. If you really must compare Goodnight Nurse to anybody you would have to say they are New Zealand’s answer to Good Charlotte without Paris Hilton in tow. ‘The Night’ is destined to become a crowd favorite. The upbeat single not only shows that Goodnight Nurse have a ton of skill but will also provide fans with some great sounds to mosh to during gigs. ‘Details’ shakes off the pop tag even further with a very alternative sound mixed with some old-school punk yelling. ‘Hard To Watch You Go’ is the band spilling their sadness about the departure of ex-band member Paul Tait. This is a heartfelt thank you to the man who helped this band on it’s way and a huge congratulations must be said to Goodnight Nurse for penning the song. ‘Lay With Me’ and ‘Drown’ are brash with a hint of aggression and its great to hear a young band who have the skill to let their music doing the talking and don’t need to be over-produced to have their music sound good. That skill is also present on ‘I Need This’ which uses good melodies and terrific backing vocals to sound great. ‘Jesse’ and ‘Drift Away’ provide some great riffs and show that these boys really know what they are doing with their instruments. ‘This Is It’ and ‘Say Your Goodbyes’ then shows Goodnight Nurses’s class and maturity. While a lot of American bands in this genre are singing cheesy songs about girls Goodnight Nurse have the skill to put together a twelve-track album with not one cheesy or bad song amongst them… that is a rarity today. If you are looking for a fresh new sound or a band that hasn’t had the radio play that it deserves, give Goodnight Nurse a listen. ‘Keep Me On Your Side’ is one Kiwi album I wouldn’t mind see steal a few ARIAs from Aussie bands.