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"The Weekender: Third Shift Review"
The Weekender — January 1, 2003
"Third shift is fun, easy to listen to, and is probably the most diverse work to date from the head"
You'd never think that the quirky members of the local quartet 40 lb. head would ever have day jobs; the energy and confidence they exude onstage seems too natural to be merely a part-time effort.
Perhaps thier creative energy is, in part, stemming from the ability tomake one of thier all time favorite pastimes, that of music, a reality-something that most of us can only dream about.
When listening to "my dream", the aptly titled first track off the local favorite's third release, "third shift", you get the feeling that they could be crooning about the joy they experience while on stage. "I'm in my dream, dont wake me up, I'm in my dream: everybody loves me, I have it all"
Surely, doing what you love, and gaining just a bit of notoriety in the process, is a dream. Following 1998's "savior self" and 2000's "hills and valleys", , "third shift" is clearly an indication that the bunch wont be waking up any time soon.
Recorded, like the previous releases, in the bands own studio, "third shift" is good old rock & roll, minus the forced , and at times, overly used aggressive angst that seems to be flooding the airwaves. It's fun, easy to listen to, and probably the most diverse work to date for the crew.
This is most likely the result of the band having a hand in the mixing and mastering of the final product. While previous releases were perfected by an outside production company, Head opted to tweak "third shift" at Saturation Acres Studio, Danville, with the aid of The Badlees' Paul Smith.
This allowed the group to collaborate with Smith and build the completed version off of each others input and knowledge. The result is a nine-track album with both a distinctive rock feel ("how do you do", "last kick", "the angry song") and a mellowed, softer version of the group's talent ("i lie to me, you lie to you", "shoulders of fate", and "feel the sun").
The emotional lyrics, tight instrumentation and the spirited vocals of lead singer Jason Egenski,combine to form a polished rock album with deep character and breadth.