Bane - The Note

  by Adrian Huggins

published: 18 / 9 / 2005

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Review

'The Note' is album number four by American hardcore band Bane. Bane have been in the process of writing and recording it for four years, and this seems to have paid off. The band who hail from the infamous Boston hardcore scene are certainly a hardcore act, but there are also many melodic breakdowns in their songs that seem to come out of nowhere. Fear not, however, hardcore kids. They’re not that melodic and soft. There’s plenty that will satisfy both old school hardcore fans and the newer breed. Bane themselves have a sound that’s more like that of such hardcore pioneers as Black Flag and Minor Threat, and also U.S hardcore crew Snapcase. 'The Note' opens with 'Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda.'It is a perfect way to open such a great album. Its really comes out of nowhere and you can't help but listen, for fear of the band jumping out of your stereo and holding you in a headlock until you're singing along. The rest of 'The Note' follows a similar trend. It is very clear that Bane have spent a lot of time perfecting their sound and working hard on making songs that sound brutal, while still being easy to listen to. The lyrics at first sound very aggressive but often convey a truly positive vibe. On 'Don’t Go' vocalist Bedard sings the line: “I wish that I could spread my arms wide/That I could wrap them around everyone I’ve ever known and loved/Protect them from the crashing waves.”Now that’s nice ,isn’t it? Not the kind of thing you’d expect to hear coming from a such an aggressive sounding band, but this is the beauty of this group. Things aren’t always straight forward. 'Don’t Go', for example, goes on to ask “Why does only death show us how much we truly mean to each other” The hardcore call to arms anthem, 'Hoods Up' really does make you want to hang out with other hardcore types and go and smash things up, but in the nicest possible way. It forces you to shout along with it (Maybe don’t listen to this on the bus). This type of music is often looked as being quite destructive. 'End with an Ellipsis' is, however, nothing put a positive song, echoing the sentiments of working hard and making sure you get through things no matter hard things seem. The wonderful thing about this album is you're left wondering throughout what Bane are going to throw at you next. 'Wasted on the Young'is a brilliant tale of woe to the younger folks among us, which states : “There’s still so much that you have yet to learn.” This song demonstrates the kind of attitude and temperament the band have, like a wise older cousin still cool enough to look up to and follow, but with enough life experience to tell you how it really is and how it can be. 'Swan Song' finishes off the album, and I’d put bets on you putting it straight back on, or driving the longer way home so you can hear some of these gems again. This song is a fine way to finish the album, the most melodic number here, but still unmistakably heavy fear not. It just ends leaving you wanting more as they announce “I will come back for you…” Well, here’s hoping !"

Track Listing:-

1 Woulda Coulda Shoulda
2 Pot Committed
3 One For The Boys
4 Hoods Up
5 End With An Ellipsis
6 My Therapy
7 Don't Go
8 Wasted On The Young
9 What Keeps Us Here
10 Swan Song