To be completely honest I have never been a huge fan of the ‘street punk’ genre, there is something about it which has never settled well with me, be it the snarling vocals or the sometimes scrappy sound, it was with hesitation I popped Voice of a Generation’s fourth LP into my CD player for the first time. I got what I was expecting, lots of gritty guitars and vocals and many songs to chant to and not a lot else. Maybe it is somewhat shortsighted of me but Voice of a Generation don’t seem to have any of the redeeming qualities I look for in a band, they simply bore me. That is not to say they are bad, but it is only in very rare bursts they keep me wanting more with their music.
Tracks such as opener ‘Cause for Alarm’ and ‘Democracy is Dead’ are punk by numbers songs which do little to ignite any type of enthusiasm into the listener, although ‘Itching Fingers’ and the sublime ‘Decadent & Confident’ do restore faith in the band with some stirring hooks and choruses. ‘Bastard’ is a little gem as well with the thumping drums dominating throughout an angry one minute and fifteen seconds. ‘The Upbringing’ is a genuinely heartfelt song about gun culture that strikes a chord while ‘Casualties of War’ is another particularly rousing effort aiming to instigate the senses.
‘Verbal Excuse’ is reminiscent of Rancid, which is a homage most bands cannot fail to make after the effect their counterparts have made on the scene, but even creepier is how incredibly similar ‘VoG’ lead vocalist Jonny Stalker sounds to Lars Fredriksen, and it isn’t even a vague similarity, but anyway, on with the CD. ‘Baseball Bat’ and ‘Crap Received’ fall into the category of filler though as the uninspiring melodies dominate the song although the angry vocals prove a saving grace as the album begins to falter towards its latter end. ‘450 Days’ is slightly more gripping although ‘Justice’ closes on a high in anthemic style.
Fans of the genre will lap this up, but ultimately it swings too much towards the average than the outstanding. I can see the appeal but this isn’t the sort of record I will be playing for months to come as it simply sounds too damn repetitive if listened to more than once in a day. Strictly for the fans only.
Jay
