Similar production
techniques have been applied here as by Scott Harper and MYC on
that band's 1997 album "Happiness and Authority"
(Lifestyle/Custom thru Shock!), which
still remains my hardcore yardstick. All this goes into highlighting the
influence factor and showing those whose only exposure to the band has been
through the radio exactly what it is that has led to local Gold status for the
last two albums.
Greed opens the
account solidly with a quasi-pop intro for a song to which you can just see the
seething masses moshing in the pit. Still Can Be
Great and My Own Way show the blistering pace that is today's brand
of punk. My Own Country (US of Me) brought a lyrical smile, and
the Aus/NZ Only Men
at Work cover Down Under capped the whole record off nicely
(do these guys know what any of this stuff means?)
The biggest surprise
was the choice of Alien as the single, the most commercial and
radio-friendly track of them all and by no means an example of the rest of the
album; like Frenzal Rhomb's singles from their "Not So Tough Now"
LP. On that basis, Watch Me and/or Just for You would be
excellent follow-ups.
18 tracks and a
bargain price make this album excellent value for money, and might entice both
the hardened cynic and the die-hard fan alike. Pennywise "Straight Ahead"
album on Epitaph through Shock! scores
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