Worthless United

In a way, I'm glad that some punk bands emulate their influences so closely. Sure, Worthless United play that brand of tuneful punk that's heavily indebted to early Clash and UK street punk. And while it is true that Rancid, the Dropkick Murphys, the Bouncing Souls and numerous others have done the same thing in the past decade, I still find it hard to fault a band for originality when they execute their songs with such genuine exuberance. That being said this New Jersey four piece delivers a highly enjoyable disc of positive, working class punk rock.

Worthless United's major strength is in their dual vocals. While one singer has a gruff, traditional street punk tone (much like Gordy of the Forgotten), it is complemented by a higher voice that lies somewhere between Greg Attonito and Mick Jones. The effect works quite well on this EP; no matter who's singing lead there's always a dynamic being created by the backing vocals. There also seems to be the slightest hint of Bruce Springsteen at times, but that may just be me connecting bands by geography.

The lead track "I Am Nothing" is a catchy, driving punk rock tune that should end up on their upcoming full length. The band's vocalists trade off lines during the upstroke verses of "Tighty Whitey," an older tune from their Chunksaah released record. The two exclusive tracks here are "Oh Sweetheart" and "Saved," both of which are solid songs build around passionate choruses. Instrumentally the band is quite tight, but it's Scott Asbury's bass lines that really keep the momentum. Fans of any of the above-mentioned groups should check this out…