The Suicide File "Some Mistakes You Never Stop Paying For" CD
[Indecision]
This posthumous collection sees some rare and out of print material from this Boston hardcore/punk act back in action. Their style is basically energetic hardcore/punk with a good amount of rock 'n' roll thrown in, occasionally flirting with more modern post-hardcore textures that add some emotional intensity, while yelling vocals front the attack. They keep things concise and to the point as well, plowing through 18 songs in a mere 32 minutes. First up is the "Things Fall Apart" 7" from 2003, which is a little more rocked out than their full-length was, most notably in straightforward and basic cuts like "Fuck Fox News" and "I Like the Nightlife Baby". The title track from the EP is significantly darker and more dissonant, actually sticking out as much more intriguing and powerful as a result. Then it's on to split 7"s with R'N'R and The Hope Conspiracy, which drop a few more short but sweet rockers in "Achtung! Landmine!" (Killer vocal patterns during that chorus!) and "I Hate Rock 'n' Roll"; while "Ashcroft" has more of a midpaced drive alongside unexpectedly melodic lead lines. Their self-titled debut 7" follows and is a little more straightforward in its blend of hardcore/punk and rock with few frills. "Now Lie in It" is damn near the only song that actually has an old school styled breakdown part, while "The Somme" opts for total rock power chords for its break (admittedly getting into a brief fit of twisted discordance later on), with "A Pleasure to Have in Class" slowing things down to start off and rocking out with a lot more melody that makes an amazing standout number that eventually cranks out some killer fast paced rhythms. The three demo cuts only include one exclusive track, the somewhat uneventful "Another Night in America", but for completists it's definitely necessary to have the whole deal represented here. The recordings are effective but not necessarily as crisp as you might expect. The five tracks from 2003 are warm and natural but could use a little more emphasis on both pulsing low-end and brighter treble textures. Everything sounds fine though, and is shockingly consistent considering there are several recording sessions represented over the course of three years. In fact, without thinking about it you don't even really realize that there are minor differences between each set of songs, so it plays through without a hitch. The design keeps it minimal using only high contrast red and white imagery, with a few band photos, decorative emblems, and all of the lyrics. I always loved these guys' lyrics, from the personal to the political, but always sincere and making a point with some impact, from, "My life is a warzone, my life is a mess. This world is full of landmines. I can't take this stress," to, "And when I peer through the red the white and the blue I can see people like you using tragedy to advance your own narrow moral crusade." The other cool thing about this collection is that only one song was later re-recorded for their full-length, and there are a mere two duplicate songs herein that appeared on both the demo and their first EP. The Suicide File remains among a select few bands that I preferred in the live setting as opposed to the studio, as they were just so fuckin' energetic that it blew me away, but even though their studio work never totally captured that aspect of their character I'm definitely still into 'em. So this is a great set of tunes that should damn sure appease their fans who missed out on the vinyl or simply enjoy the convenience of CD's. (7/10)
Running time - 32:36, Tracks: 18
[Notable tracks: Things Fall Apart, Achtung! Landmine!, Ashcroft, I Hate You, A Pleasure to Have in Class]
Indecision Records - http://www.indecisionrecords.com

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