It’s been 10 years since The Falcon dropped one of my favorite albums, Unicornography, so for me sitting down to write about this release is pretty compelling.

Anyone who fancies themselves a punk rocker has had to have heard of The Falcon unless they were living in a gutter.  They are the enigma of punk rock supergroups and just dropped  Gather Up The Chaps on Red Scare.  I am sure most people who are reading this already have listened to it 100 times and pre-ordered 7 copies of the record.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t think I was going to like this release at all.  Seriously, I just was not anticipating much of anything to get excited over, I mean it has been 10 years after all.  Maybe it’s also because I am old and snooty and thinking that by bringing on
Hause,  The Falcon’s dynamic might change.

Boy was I wrong.  (Note:  I am a huge fan of Hause and even have a photo of me and him where I am smiling and he is not – I just needed to disclose that.)

The Chicago punk rock supergroup for those of you who have no idea what I am talking about features Brendan Kelly (The Lawrence Arms), Neil Hennessy, Dan Andriano (Alkaline Trio),  and the recently recruited Dave Hause (The Loved Ones).

“The Trash” started things off and immediately proved to me this album was going to be a good one.  Hearing three vocalists from three of my favorite bands all chime in at once was awesome.  Kelly’s rasp, Hause’s howl, and Andriano’s swooning mixed perfectly.

Hearing Andriano chuckle in “Sergio’s Here” made this satire of a track that much more entertaining to the point that I laughed each time I played the song.  Seriously though, this track was just a blast to listen to and you can tell the guys were just having fun throughout.  I loved the change up towards the end that just sent the song to bed.  This reminded me of older Falcon material so much.

I loved Kelly clearing his voice in the middle of “The Skeleton Dance”.  Maybe this was not scripted, but it sure did fit in.  This high-powered passion-seeking tune was super catchy but made me feel all so dirty and almost depressed by the end.

“Hasselhoff Cheeseburger” may sound like it would have been hilarious given the song title, but I think I need therapy after listening to this track.  I feel old AF right now.  Hearing Kelly strain off “I only became a man because this ugly body made me” pretty much had me reflecting past choices in life for a moment.

“If Dave Did It” was probably my favorite track on the album.  Obviously from the title, this song was almost all Hause making excuses and calling everyone out, but that did not stop the others from interjecting over him making it for one engrossing listen.

Andriano added his own touch with “You Dumb Dildos”, a song that spanned all over the place.  At times I felt I was listening to a Westernized AK3, but in the end, everyone just went berzerk and there I was standing wondering what the hell just happened.

Gather Up The Chaps is totally unbroken when it comes to mingling in the punk and the rock with loads of nonsense and hard knocks.  This album was quick and all over the place, but at no point was I ever bored listening to it.  I think it is safe to say this is one of the better albums I have heard this year.