I’m not really sure what happened to these guys. Some might say that nothing happened to them and that, in fact, they’ve always sucked. I’m also not sure what makes bands go increasingly electronic with each album instead of adding more, say, real drums. There are points in this album that you’d swear you were listening to some awful 80’s techno hybrid. Although, come to think of it, that’s what this dancepunk thing is all about. Of course, these guys still wear their love of The Clash on their collective sleeve (the song “Nation” sounds practically like a cover), but this is their dramatic shift towards Big Audio Dynamite. Despite all this, I swear multiple listens has endeared me to this mess, rather than repelling me as it should. The nostalgia in the non-techno-y tracks is palpable, and I’m a sucker for recalling the past. God, who knows, even the shittiest albums get their day in the iPOD.
6
