The label refers to this Norwegian band as being "as powerful as Propagandhi".? Bullshit.? And blasphemy, no less.? Yes, they are an extremely politically minded hardcore/punk band that infuses an atypical brand of melody to their songwriting.? And yes, they do write some good songs and have some value to offer.? But there's nothing about this record that really comes anywhere close to being comparable to the almighty Propagandhi on any level.? For the most part the songs are a blend of styles that flirt with everything from straight hardcore/punk to post-hardcore, metalcore, rock ?n' roll, etc.? One big problem I'd cite right away is that the recording isn't very clea, thoughr.? It's too raw and kind of sounds like a good demo or something, as opposed to a proper full-length.? The guitar tone is muddy and overly dry, the drums are a little plain and have an unbalanced snap going on, the bass sounds okay but gets lumped in with the muddiness of the guitars, and the vocals are the only element that sound pretty normal.? But there's a pretty significant lack of fluid warmth to the sound, and the mix leaves the vocals sounding very separated from the music due to all of the muddiness and detail that's falling by the wayside.? I wouldn't be blown away if the recording were better, but it would definitely help these songs come across as more powerful.? The vocals are a mix of shouting, yelling, and rough singing, and it's kind of a tossup.? I think the singing works the best with the songs as a whole, and there are some promising harmonies, but the vocalist doesn't seem comfortable enough as a singer yet, so there are some definite rough patches in the performance area there.? Writing-wise my only gripe is that the band can't seem to decide what they want to do, as they shift from songs that blend all of their influences together to songs that focus on one style or the other.? I'm definitely not very fond of the more rocked out numbers like "It Stole My Heart, It Stole My Mind" because they seem forced and lack the creativity displayed elsewhere.? And some of the better songs are less than original as well, since the "creativity" is borrowed at best.? For example, "Moral Masturbation" opens with great riffing that's admittedly a total Propagandhi ripoff, so I guess there are some musical ties there, but barely, and they all amount to these guys stealing Propagandhi's riffs and song structures. Also worth noting in this track is how badly the shitty guitar tone detracts from the riffs, so there's a significant problem with the recording there. Then there are darker tracks with more vocal tradeoffs and aggressive shouting like "Another's Bread..." that carry discordant undercurrents, and while these songs are okay, they really clash with some of the other material. "Better to Do" is another metallic pop-punk sounding Fat Wreck kind of song that suddenly throws in street punk-ish "whoa ohhh" backing vocals too, so what gives? Do they want to be a post-hardcore band? A punk rock band? What do they want to do with their rock ?n' roll and metal influences? The songwriting's all over the place, so it's had to get a grasp on where they're heading musically. The layout's not very good either. I absolutely hate that stupid graffiti looking font they've used, the bright yellow text over blue-ish imagery is a bad match, the cheesy little icons of bombs and megaphones and such are goofy, and everything just looks bland and jumbled together. In addition to the lyrics and brief quotes or song explanations that add more insight to the meanings, there's also a four-page set of "essays" of sorts where the band expands on some of their general ideas. And none of this is anything new, it all deals with capitalism, greed, corruption, and all that stuff. I'm not really taken by anything that the band says in particular since it's the same old same old, but I do appreciate the lengths they've gone to here in expressing themselves, as that shows that they're sincere and willing to take the extra time out to put thought into it. So that's great, I just wish the layout was more interesting and mature so as not to create a sense of disinterest in looking through the booklet. I don't know, this is just too raw and premature for me to appreciate much beyond the sincerity of their message. I like a couple of songs/riffs but the big picture is way too disjointed and I'm not into the recording or presentation, so... I've gotta pass on this one.
[Go-Kart]
Running time - 53:45, Tracks: 12
[Notable tracks: They Speak About Truth..., Moral Masturbation]
Go-Kart Records - http://www.gokartrecords.com
