Fat Wreck Chords in yet another quality release shocker! Yes, hold the front-page kids, for they’ve done it again. Good Riddance, everyone’s favourite politically and socially minded melodic hardcore stalwarts are here with their new full length and it follows beautifully on from where ‘Symptoms of a Levelling Spirit’ left off.
Unfortunately, they appear to have accidentally forgotten to include the huge hooks that are usually such a staple of their sound. At times, ‘Bound By Ties Of Blood And Affection’ sounds like an album that isn’t quite finished. Some of the songs, such as the meandering ‘The Dubious Glow Of Excess’ and the short but far from sweet ‘Shame, Rights and Privilege’ just lack a certain something and end up feeling like album filler compared to other tracks.
However, before it gets to all that, the blistering ‘Made To Be Broken’ opens the album perfectly (Even if for a horrible split second, it sounded like Rancid …. But only for a second) before ‘More Depalma, Less Fellini’ ably takes the reins and carries on the abrasive yet wholly enjoyable attack on the senses. ‘Saccharine’ is a sign of things to come, however, as it slows the pace down to a mid paced punk song. Luckily, the uncanny knack for creating sing a long chorus’s within a genre that rarely troubles itself with such nonsense pulls GR through yet again.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work. ‘The Process’ is another slower number that merely feels laboured and lacking in ideas, a description which could almost describe ‘Remember Me’ until yet again, the fantastic chorus saves it. Some people have described this ‘slowing down’ as the musical decline of Good Riddance, but I really don’t think its quite that drastic. SOALS showed a band in transition, while this record shows a band trying to find their feet with a slightly more mature and introspective sound, but still carrying all the cards that were dealt to them early on in their careers.
Luckily, when ‘There’s No ‘I’ in Team’ detonates from the stereo, all faith is restored in the Good Riddance boys. Add breakneck speed, intelligent lyrics, heaps of melody, Russ’s trademark vocal snarl and you have probably the best song on the record. This kind of song is a speciality of GR, but they are by no means a one trick pony. While broken down individually, the songs on ‘Bound By Ties Of Blood and Affection’ may not stand up to the songs on ‘A Comprehensive Guide…’ or ‘The Phenomenon of Craving’, but as an album, this is still an essential purchase.
Yes, it’s Good Riddance, and yes, it still contains the type of songs that have made them a much-loved name in the punk rock world, but there’s still something missing. However, Good Riddance not at their best is still 10 times better than many bands playing to all their strengths, and for the discerning GR fan, this is a must have. If you’re new to them, however, I’d start a little further back in their collection.
Ross