Arizona Daily Wildcat
Thursday March 27, 2003
AFI
Sing The Sorrow
It's hard to successfully make an original album these days, and it looks like long-time punk band AFI (A Fire Inside) may have accomplished that feat in epic fashion.
Sing is the work of a band not following listening convention. It literally sounds like no modern band. Its sound is punk, but not solely punk. It's punk metal, but it's gothic punk metal.
The songs here are like easily accessible anthems that don't lose their underground integrity ala Blink, The Sums, etc. It's safe to say that name-dropping these guys at a hardcore punk show after this album won't get you laughed out the door.
Another thing that will separate this veteran band's new album from its fun-loving contemporaries is its mood. This album will not get a party started. That's not what this band does, unless the party is a live show.
Apparently before the band takes the stage, an AFI crowd will chant, "Through our bleeding, we are one!" Maybe the Red Cross should think about setting up a donor tent outside the Rialto when they stop here April 22. Couldn't hurt.
Either way, real punk fans will not be disappointed with this release. That's unless they get jealous of the attention this album generates for the band and then they either pretend they "never really liked the band that much anyway" or think this new album "sucks." Which it does not.
- Kevin Smith
The Libertines
Up The Bracket
Hey kids! It's time for your new favorite garage band import of the week! Featured this week is a band that comes all the way from London. You know, fish 'n' chips, cup o' tea, bad food, worse weather, Mary f'ing Poppins ÷ London! Ladies and gentlemen, New Musical Express presents a review of The Libertines!
While other popular rock journals have duly compared The 'Tines, as they are now called, to The Clash (this album was produced by former Clash guitarist Mick Jones), this daily college newspaper enthusiast wishes to compare them to The Happy Mondays and The Clash. Let it not be said that this review suffered from unoriginality. Actually these guys pull off a pretty unique sound. Since they pull off such a sound at this moment in history, they are garage rock ÷ and a gratuitous comparison to The Strokes is necessary: They sound like the Strokes with different influences, much more upbeat, punk energy and a completely different lead singer. So they sound nothing like The Strokes. But they do have short, tight songs and are pictured smoking cigarettes. A connection was inevitable.
For "let's get drunk rock," this album does the trick. Hangover repentance is even included as the last song laments about the myths of drug abuse in "What A Waster." No doubt The Libs, which is the band's now commonly-referred to street name, will achieve some level of success this side o' the pond thanks to the striking similarities with their American blood brothers in The Strokes. Ahh, to live in the early thousands ·
- Kevin Smith
Swingin' Utters
Dead flowers, bottles, bluegrass, and bones
Everybody and their tattooed uncle is in a "punk" band nowadays. But what does it mean to be a true punk band? First you have to look at what being a punk is and isn't.
Being a punk isn't being pretty. Despite what Avril Lavigne wants everybody to think, she isn't punk. She is just Britney in different clothes. Punk is ugly. Johnny Rotten and the Sex Pistols are no one's idea of models.
Being a punk isn't about fame, especially the MTV version. Blink 182 is not punk. Green Day used to be punk, but now they are not. Swingin' Utters, for the time being at least, are still punk.
Anger plays a major role in the musical output of a punk band. Track after track of Dead flowers emits anger and resentment. Even the "ballads" of the album aren't the type of songs you would play to try and woo someone. Rather, they are for someone you are trying to piss off.
The best thing about punk in general, and Swingin' Utters specifically, is the length of their songs. They know that their audience doesn't necessarily have the longest of attention spans, so they keep the tunes nice and short. This helps the audience keep their anger at the maximum, without the letdown you inevitably get from long songs.
Probably most importantly, punk doesn't care what critics think of it. If critics hate the music, screw them. If they like the music, screw them still. Dead flowers, bottles, bluegrass · definitely emits a strong "screw you" vibe. Maybe more "punks" can learn something from this.
- Paul Iiams
