It seems like just yesterday the Lawrence Arms unleashed their Fat Wreck debut on an unsuspecting public, but a mere 18 months later they have managed to write, record and release the follow up to ‘Apathy & Exhaustion’ in the form of this tidy but relatively disappointing fourth full length. I’m sure most of you are fairly familiar with the trio by now having embarked on a couple of tours over here, along with the video for the superb ‘Porno & Snuff Films’ gaining rotation on a couple of music channels, so how could they possibly follow up three solid and strong punk rock albums with their fourth in as many years? Well maybe this was one record too soon as it doesn’t quite follow on from the success of ‘Apathy’. But only by a small margin.
From the deliciously gritty ‘Guided Tour…’ and ‘Ghost Stories’ to the refined ‘Apathy & Exhaustion’ I have always admired the Lawrence Arms from the fuzzy, grinding guitars to the duel vocals of Brendan and Chris. It starts strongly enough with ‘On with the Show’ a ferocious yet short and sweet track which showcases an energy that the Lawrence Arms can only produce when on top form, while ‘March of the Elephants’ tries the same approach but somehow falls slightly short of the angst it is trying to convey. ‘The Raw and Seering Flesh’ is bitter at best yet the vocals suit the melancholy outlook perfectly. ‘Drunk Mouth Hitchen Smile’ proves slightly mundane in comparison, but the marvelous ‘Fireflies’ outshines it in contrast.
‘Chapter 13’ seems slightly laberous, although a strong chorus saves it from being anything other than filler, but once again the gruff vocals of Brendan bring the energy up again as guitars and snare drums explode into a frenzy of passion on ‘Hesitation Station’. ‘The Revisionist’ is a welcome break as forlorn guitars are wrapped up in a sweet and somber number while the ‘Ramblin Boys of Pleasure’ is sublime to the point of climax as it builds and builds for a thrilling anthemic close. ‘A Wishfull Puppeteer’ and ‘The Disaster March‘ end it on a slight downer as neither songs manage to find the spark of earlier tracks.
I am trying to make this review as unbiased as possible with the Lawrence Arms proving to be one of my favorite bands on the scene right now. They wear their hearts on there sleeves from start to finish and while not every song on the album is a masterpiece, they certainly show a passion on each track which is lacking in certain bands these days. This is not the Lawrence Arms best release, but for a band who has set their mark so high, I don’t believe anyone can grumble.
Jay