Aural Fixations

DOWN BY LAW
Windwardtidesandwaywardsails
(Union)
THE EXPLOITED
Fuck the System
(Dream Catcher/Spitfire)
SNUFF
Disposable Income
(Union)
THE UNSEEN
Explode
(BYO)
WORTHLESS UNITED
A Nation Under
(Now or Never)
It may be a surprise to music fans that remember the Great Punk Rock Scare of the 90s, when Green Day, Blink-182 and the Offspring made their commercial variation on the old melodic outrage a massively popular commodity, but punk isn't dead. Once the lords of the charts decided they'd had enough of that bratty guitar stuff (unless it was made safe for the 14-year-old masses), punk rock went back to the lands from which it came: underground. Punk is as thriving a scene in the 2000s as it ever was in the 1990s—or the 80s or 70s, for that matter—if you know where to look.

In many ways, Down By Law exemplifies the spirit of the best punk rock, with its sure sense of melody, intelligent songsmithery and firebreathing power. The band's seventh album Windwardtidesandwaywardsails has all those qualities in abundance. Leaders Dave Smalley and Sam Williams know their way around power chords, but are also quite comfortable with fancy filigrees and complex arrangements; the record has a surprising amount of variety built in, even though it's still recognizably punk. The band's messages aren't dissimilar to the ones promoted by punk since the MC5's time: stand up for yourself, fight for what you believe in, don't take any shit. But Smalley and Williams put just enough twists into those ideas to make them sound fresh again, as in "Put the Boots In." Smalley (with occasional help from Williams and bassist Keith Davies) tends to deliver everything with the same teethclenching passion, which can seem a bit overwrought, but he's smart enough to relax once in a while—check the light singing on "Easy Street" or "Johnny Law" or the muttered croon of "Capitol Riots." The record encompasses singalong anthems ("Superheroes Wanted"), thrash ("Going Wrong," "Next to Go"), power pop ("Kickdown," "Johnny Law"), peppy love songs ("Everlasting Girl"), even goodtime boogie ("[I Wanna Be in] AC/DC"). No matter in what direction DBL heads, however, there's no denying its essential identity as a punk rock band, and Windwardtidesandwaywardsails is a fine example of contemporary punk.

The Exploited are the grizzled veterans here; the U.K. band has been loudly bitching about, well, everything since the early 80s. Like their American counterparts in D.R.I., the Exploited were early advocates of the confluence of metal and punk rock, metalcore decades before the term came into vogue. While the band definitely leans more toward the latter on its latest album Fuck the System, its raging power chords and spitting solos will inspire as much headbanging as slamdancing. But arguably the Exploited at its loudest isn't about guitars but about its frontman, the wild-eyed Wattie Buchan. If this record is any indication, his dedication to outrage—whether it be moral, personal or just plain unfocused—is as solid as ever. He rails against women who've treated him wrong in "There is No Point," "Why Are You Doing This to Me" and "Fucking Liar," blasts the ruling class of society in "Lie to Me," "Holiday in the Sun" and the title track, and just plain vents on "Noize Annoys" and "You're a Fucking Bastard." He also takes time out to assert his own punk authenticity in "Never Sell Out," "I Never Changed" and "Chaos is My Life," as if there was any doubt. Wattie isn't the most articulate social critic in the world—the lyrics to "You're a Fucking Bastard" mainly consist of the title phrase repeated shouted over and over, with a little "And a shit fuck too!" thrown in for variety—but his palpable rage is undeniable; this is a guy who's been angry since the day he exited the womb. The songs themselves, though they're bursting with energy, lack variety, but it's unlikely the band much cares; it's not concerned with finding a new audience as much as pumping up its old one. Fuck the System will endure quite handily by preaching to the converted. (more)

Album reviews of new music by:

Aluminum Babe

Singer/guitarist Anna Söder and bassist Jorge Musa write short, sharp punk/pop songs that maximize the hooks and the volume. (more)

Brother Eye

The only indulgences that matter to the Eyes are good songs and guitars, and they feature both a-plenty on the Dave Fridmann-produced All the Pretty Girls Get the Triangle. (more)

Vic Conrad & the First Third

The self-titled debut of the new project is an excellent reminder that "quirky" does not mean "unlistenable." (more)

El Caco

Norway's El Caco puts the "power" in "power trio" without giving up an inch of agility on its latest album Viva. (more)

The Fleshtones

Head 'tones Peter Zaremba and Keith Streng still pen the uncanniest imitations of 60s garage punk and party rock. (more)

Sofa King Killer

Lust Crime and Holiness EP is the perfect metal soundtrack for that uncontrollable crying jag. (more)

Soulive

Recorded live, Soulive drops the half-baked R&B experimentation of the band's previous record Next and strips the band back down to its roots in jazzy funk. (more)

And enjoy the refreshed sounds of the Byrds, the Cyrkle and the Gentle Soul.