It’s difficult to pigeonhole exactly who State Radio sound like. While they’re not ‘punk’ in sound, their reggae-infused rock is certainly punk in its ideals. Mixing progressive politics with a call-to-arms slant, State Radio are a really good band. Vocalist Chad Stokes grew up in America but, as a teenager, went out to live in Zimbabwe. On his return to the States he set up Dispatch, sold 400,000 albums independently, then created a documentary which was financed by Matt Stone and Trey Parker (yes, of South Park fame) and won critical acclaim at a number of film festivals. When Dispatch split up, Stokes enlisted Chuck Fay and Brian Sayers, neither known for their rock or punk work, and crated State Radio.
The result is a band that is soaked in variety; at times the band sound like Rx Bandits-circa ‘The Resignation’, while at others they come across as a much more alternative rock band. But throughout ‘Us Against The Crown’, they hit the spot – and then some. ‘People To People’ and ‘Mr Larkin’ are absolutely fantastic tracks, the latter will surely be a radio hit in the future. Throughout this record the band take a poke at society’s wrongdoings. But they’re socially aware too – the stripped down ‘Camilo’ references the plight of Stf Sgt Camilo Meija of the Florida National Guard who was imprisoned for refusing to return to fight in Iraq.
The band take a look at many topics lyrically, which is extremely refreshing. Stokes deals with the rights of the elderly on ‘Mr Larkin’ and the struggles of the lower class on ‘Riddle In Londontown’, while ‘Right Me Up’ looks at problems with disability in the 21st Century. ‘Us Against The Crown’ is not only full of great songs, it’s also thought-provoking and highly original. For those of you who like a little bit more to their music than tales of how someone’s been dumped by their girlfriend, but still want a batch of catchy songs, State Radio may well be the band for you in 2006.
www.stateradio.com
Nettwerk/Ruff Shod
Paul