published: 9 /
7 /
2007
Label:
Sudden Death
Format: CD
Disappointing new album from offshoot project of the usually reliable Joe Keithley, who fronts durable American punk band D.O.A.
Review
As part of D.O.A. Joe Keithley has produced album after album of enjoyably straight up, aggressive punk. Sadly this latest release fails to match up to the standards set by Keithley’s history. Suffering from the deadliest of diseases – side-project-itis – 'Band of Rebels' lacks the driving power of D.O.A. releases and does not bring enough extra to the table to make up for it.
At moments it comes to life – with ‘Wake Me Up For The Revolution’ Keithley has crafted an understated pop song without compromising his punk ethic. These moments are rare though. More frequent are tracks, like ‘---- the Corporation’ and ‘Record Company Ripoff’, where a pseudo-funk rants, strangely out of place saxophone solos and self-aggrandising lyrics combine to little effect.
This reaches its logical conclusion at track 13 with a cover of ‘Born to be Wild’. You could view this as a valiant subversion of a song of mass-market rebellion by a true rebel. Actually it is just a bad cover of a bad song.
It may be expecting too much to expect subtlety from a man who adopts the middle name ‘S**thead’ but Keithley has shown he can do far, far better than this in the past.
Track Listing:-
1
Rebel Kind
2
Bust Me Loose
3
When Power Came To Canada
4
People Power
5
Wake Me Up For The Revolution
6
Take What You Can Out Of Life
7
Armageddon Time
8
Fuck The Corporation
9
Dangerman
10
Record Company Ripoff
11
Troublemaker
12
Men For All Ages
13
Born To Be Wild
14
Goodnight Irene
15
The Music Scientist