Volunteers - Know Yourself
Being more a fan of post-hardcore rock than the genre itself (although
I do rate Black Flag if that counts for anything), I wasn't expecting
to like this, the efforts of an "old school hardcore supergroup"
no less. However, from the opening seconds of "Fighting" right
through to "epic" (almost three minutes long!) closer "What
the Fuck?", it was difficult not to get caught up in by the sheer
energy being pumped out of the speakers. Blink and you'll miss the gaps
between songs - we're talking fifteen tracks in just over twenty minutes.
Volunteers rail against globalisation and corporate bullshit ("Language
List"), bad self-image ("Know Yourself") and the evils
of smoking dope at gigs ("Wrong Smoke"), although, with the
lyrics coming at you like a hail of bullets, I had to refer to the inlay
card to be absolutely sure. If nothing else, this is skateboarding music
with a conscience which left me in the mood to fire up a quick game
of Grand Theft Auto and do some serious damage. Apparently the late,
great John Peel was a fan and recommendations don't come any higher
than that. I bet they're shit-hot live.
Will Columbine
Tasty Fanzine
Get fed up about this review on our message boards
here
|