Roger Miret And The Disasters - 1984

  by Alex Halls

published: 25 / 2 / 2005

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Review

Born in Cuba but raised on the streets of New York City Roger Miret has long been at the epicentre of punk rock’s transformation from the traditional to the modern. Although he would be likely to disassociate himself from the pseudo-punk currently being played in abundance, with the Disasters he continues his passion for street punk and ‘Oi!’ music and is determined to reassert himself each time over the punk community, a thing he has done to perfection over the last two decades with Agnostic Front. Since their self-titled release in 2002, the Disasters has become Roger Miret’s current musical priority, a great deal softer than Agnostic Front but retaining the zeal of real inspiration and the down-to-earth nature of music direct from its source. It is a shame that people still associate ‘Oi!’ with fascist movements as one would have hoped that over time this sightlessness would have slowly been dispelled. Miret is first to defend his music from these so-called critics but does so by simply pointing at people’s mere ignorance at what really surrounds them. Aside from blinded viewpoints, the Disasters return after two years of full-on touring with '1984', an album aimed at honestly portraying life and its experiences, and who better to exhibit this personal account than Roger Miret and his well-travelled trio (guitarist Rhys Kill, bassist Brian Darwas and drummer Mike Mulieri). There is an undeniable similarity between the thirteen tracks on '1984': a tendency on albums within this genre and nothing that is not to be expected. Musically, there is also nothing particularly new to the genre on the album, yet every track has an instantly recognisable introduction, best shown in 'Janie Hawk' and united throughout 1984 by captivating choruses. On both the Disasters’ debut and '1984' an English accent comes across in the vocals. Although Roger Miret insists it is not deliberate, it adds charm to Miret’s now familiar slurred vocalic style on tracks such as 'I Don’t Like You' and 'The Boys'. It is in fact in the latter of these songs that the band’s evident need for camaraderie and to be proud shines through in the lyrics. Notable references continue to be made to Miret’s beloved New York City, in the end track of the same name and one can sense his passion for his roots, which is agreeably transformed into every song that bears his name. '1984' represents Roger Miret at his best and is a continuation of his debut album, detailing experiences to good effect within a set of genuine songs. It does enough to retain the Disasters’ current following but may fail to attract newer fans, which is probably the band’s last intention presently. Growth and dominance need not occur immediately but bona fide, sincere music always wins through at the end of the day. Roger Miret has shown this time and time again and with the aid of the excellent Disasters. '1984' is no different; it is a building block album and a good one at that.

Track Listing:-

1 Loud and Proud
2 Riot, Riot, Riot
3 1984
4 The Boys
5 Turncoat
6 Lower East Side
7 Hooligans
8 Street Rock N Roll
9 I Don't Like You
10 Kill For Cash
11 Shot Stabbed and Fooled
12 Janie Hawk
13 New York City

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