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Strike Anywhere

To Live In Discontent
2005
Jade Tree

Strike Anywhere - To Live In Discontent (Cover Artwork)


Review by: pwfanatic
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Jade Tree Records (Logo)

Published on January 25th 2005

There are many people who say that punk is dead.

And judging from the constant stream of repetitive bands that can hardly deviate from their predecessor’s sound, that statement would be correct. However, anyone who says that true punk is dead has apparently never listened to the Richmond-based quartet Strike Anywhere. After releasing two of the more solidly consistent releases, the boys are bringing their anger full circle with a B-Sides/compilation of sorts: To Live In Discontent.

The album opens with a heavy two-and-a-half minute dose of rebellion in “Asleep.” The song has the traditional Strike Anywhere sound. Thomas’s scratchy vocals echo against the rest of the band in a way that no other melodic hardcore band can do as well. The song speeds through at a blistering pace, sometimes treading into almost pop-ish guitars before seamlessly melding back into an unequivocal force of hardcore intensity. This formula is best seen in “Chorus of One” where the entire song builds up into a climax of a pogo beat of sorts.

Other songs like “Earthbound” remind you of the heart behind this band. It is a tad over one minute long but packs more emotion and passion into the song than most bands can put into an entire album. Likewise, “Cassandratic Equation” picks up the speed a notch and berates you for the better part of three minutes with the anti-establishment feel that is all too familiar.

Thomas’s vocal range even is tested from his scratchy yell in “Two Fuses” and for the most part, he doesn’t really hit the high notes too well. However, this really isn’t a bad thing as it adds a hint of desperation to the song as he even handles most of the "whoa"s by his lonesome self. It is one of the slower songs on the album, which isn’t really saying too much, but it shows a nice diversification of what is still a familiar sound for them.

With ten hits of new/old material as well as three covers (“Where Are They Now” is especially catchy), Strike Anywhere has done another good job with To Live In Discontent. The album doesn’t really tread any new ground for them but it really isn’t any new material either, so that is alright.

[originally written for readysteadyjedi.com]



People who liked this also liked:
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    Posted by Anonymous on Friday, March 25, 2005 at 11:31 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    I don't see why people comment on bands they don't like. The comments are supposed to be done by people who have heard the album, and are fans of the band, and they're supposed to be about what they think of the album. Just because you don't like a certain band doesn't mean you have to waste other people's time. In any case, I'm glad this album came out because searching for their out of print EP is kind of tedious. Now I can finally listen to Cassandratic Equation, Incendiary, etc. on my CD player... woohoo! The best songs on the album are, in my opinion, Asleep and Two Sides. Great cover of a great band.

    Posted by Anonymous on Monday, January 31, 2005 at 9:41 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    This is just another one of those flash in the pan new wave bands. They suck

    Posted by punkster73 on 2005-01-29 23:58:29
    My Score:

    The singers forehead far outshines the music.

    Posted by RiseAgainst215 on 2005-01-28 00:35:35
    My Score:

    i like how this album has the songs from the 7", and Chorus of One. and I agree with the person a few posts down...Notes on Pulling the Sky Down is an amazing song. I like how it can go from acoustic to a little faster back to slow...its so sweet. But yeah this album is fucking awesome, but i was hoping for some new material. Oh well.

    Posted by Johnny_X on 2005-01-27 21:18:49
    My Score:

    I especially enjoyed the cover tracks on this album, especially the Gorilla Bisquits one. Its great when a band acknowledges its roots, let alone even know they're roots. So many bands have no clue when and where the sound they are playing came from.

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 9:04 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    to the person below, is it worth the $12?

    Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, January 27, 2005 at 5:00 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Goddamnit, I'm listening to this CD and I went to this site to see how people thought of it, and what I got was a CRAP review that offered very little information, and a bunch of people arguing about the creation and death of punk like a christian argues with an athiest. shut up. I saw like 2 insightful posts and that was about it.
    ANYWAYS......
    The first 3 songs, asleep, antidote, and chorus of one are done differently than the mp3s I got online before this release, so maybe they redid them. I thought antidote was redone really well.
    One song that struck me was "two fuses" which apparently didn't make the cut for the album exit english. Although a little slow for Strike Anywhere, I found it to be an awesome song that probably would have been one of the better songs on Exit English.
    The last 3 songs on the album were cover songs, with my favorite one being "two sides" by Gorilla Biscuits.
    As for packaging/extras, The booklet didnt have much at all, I was pretty disappointed. Just lyrics and info on when songs were recorded and what not.
    Hope this was helpful for people who were looking for actual information on the CD instead of a whole truckload of crap.

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 10:35 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    I know for a fact that most Go-Kart releases come out in Canada long before their slated release dates. I bought the latest TFP in March, 3 months before it was due in stores. Odd.

    -Chinatown

    Posted by pwfanatic on 2005-01-26 14:12:10
    My Score:

    me too, i think the guy that owns the store i go to just doesn't care at all about release dates. in fact, he usually lets me know it isn't out, and then checks for himself when it is coming out...as if that future reference will help him in the future.

    Posted by notfeelingcreative on 2005-01-26 14:02:38
    My Score:

    I think my local indie store fucked up, I've had this for two weeks.

    Posted by notfeelingcreative on 2005-01-26 14:02:38
    My Score:

    I think my local indie store fucked up, I've had this for two weeks.

    Posted by swingline on 2005-01-26 14:01:32
    My Score:

    fucking shut the fuck up all of you! stop arguing over subject matters of which i can not grasp. i can't stand the fucking arguing! it forces me to read every fucking post

    Posted by notfeelingcreative on 2005-01-26 13:59:05
    My Score:

    No mention of "Notes on Pulling the Sky Down"? That's my favorite SA song.

    I'll third that!

    Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 12:16 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    why dont you kids stop arguing about whether punk is dead or not, and start talking about how richmond virginia is awsome as shit.

    at least, that's what i would do.

    Posted by dazed on 2005-01-26 06:30:16
    My Score:

    blah blah blah punk blah blah blah

    OK now that that's done with can anyone tell me anything about the packaging, etc. If it's a really cool release with lots of photos or stories perhaps that might be a reason for me to get it since I already have the vast majority of the songs and besides "Two Sides" none of the unreleased stuff has me super excited.

    I'd recommend this to anyone who didn't get the EP and the free mp3s on their site a couple years ago, though. Songs like "Antidote", "Notes..." and "Earthbound" are some of the best in the band's catalogue.

    Posted by boba_fett on 2005-01-25 18:55:43
    My Score:

    this score is for Vampires: The Masquerade. awesome game.

    and strike anywhere rocks too.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 6:43 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    The Exchange or Best Buy didn't have this.

    BOOOO!

    - Kirby

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 6:21 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    "Punk's not dead" ... WAH WAH WAH.

    Whatever. I don't speak Spanish.

    But you know what IS dead? This fucking cd. It defintely (even "most definitely") is a B-Sides album, even more so than "Exit English," which sounded like a goddamn uninspired and lethargic B-Side album to begin with.

    Get this if you are a big Strike Anywhere fan. Burn/rip this if you want something to hold you over until something better within "the genre" of Asskicking Stage music comes out.

    But otherwise. Just listen to Cheap Shots/Youth Anthems or wait until Paradise comes out, or the Loved Ones EP (if you want to support Jade Tree), otherwise look elsewhere....

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 5:05 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Punk seems to die at the exact moment when the commentator loses interest, gets a high-paying job, or switches music styles to something that sells more copies.

    Posted by Crookedsuperhero on 2005-01-25 16:50:57
    My Score:

    No mention of "Notes on Pulling the Sky Down"? That's my favorite SA song.

    Agreed.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 4:35 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Punk never existed besides the first wave? What about all of the people who honestly took the lesson out of that and started doing their own music their way? Punk is dead in the sense that it's misrepresented. The punks killed punk. But the music's still alive... I don't think all new music is devoid of creativity on the scale to say that none of it's original.

    -BSD

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 2:28 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    So, how about that Strike Anywhere then? Quite a good band, I'm sure you'll agree.

    Joe

    Posted by Fuzzy on 2005-01-25 14:22:12
    My Score:

    Jesse- I think on a large scale you're right, it's just not feasible. And until recently, I basically wrote it off, but after spending some time at the Bound Together Anarchist Bookstore/Collective in San Francisco, and reading more about AK Press, I think it's easily a viable way to organize small groups of people.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 2:13 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Wow.
    People are actually arguing about "punk" being dead or not?

    Score is for you guys.

    Posted by Jesse on 2005-01-25 13:42:15
    My Score:

    Both, actually. It's a noble concept that is misinterpreted, and is flawed in its original thought. Sure it sounds nice, but it would never work given the general human ability to fuck things up if given the opportunity.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 1:00 PM (EST)
    My Score:

    Anarchy: no gods, no masters.

    Is that something that reflects the reality of the human condition? No. People are social animals and - similar to other animals - organize social heirarchies when grouped together. Anarchy is therefore only a viable concept if viewed as the theoretical ideal of complete equality.

    Posted by Fuzzy on 2005-01-25 12:54:48
    My Score:

    You were dismissing anarchy as "ridiculous concept" and I was just wondering if you were doing that out of hand, or if you actually had any knowledge and/or experience with it firsthand. Many people seem to dismiss it without knowing anything about it, and I wondered if you were writing it off as the popularized "NO RULE NO GOVERNMENT ANARCHAY WOO!!!! OI OI CHAOS XAOS!!@" notion, or the historical and theoretical one. (note: I am not an anarchist, simply have an interest in intellectual honesty)

    Posted by FortyMinutesWest on 2005-01-25 12:48:58
    My Score:

    I'll probably get this just for Two Sides.

    Posted by Jesse on 2005-01-25 12:46:55
    My Score:

    Yes.

    Posted by Fuzzy on 2005-01-25 12:16:16
    My Score:

    Jesse - Was that question in response to my question?

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 10:38 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    This review doesnt help me AT ALL if i should buy/download this CD. I have all but 4(out of 13 songs already). You didnt mention if the quality was any better than the previous releases of the majority of the songs. Okay, we all know what kind of music Strike Anywhere puts out, how about giving us some freaking information on the actual CD instead of this garbage. This might easily be the worst review on the site. Could someone please post something that gives some information if this is worth $12 if you already have the old material.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 9:48 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    kudos to the Strike Anywhere/NMDS hybrid band for doing Two Sides by Gorilla Biscuits... great song... executed well.

    Posted by Jesse on 2005-01-25 09:25:32
    My Score:

    What the fuck are you talking about? All I said is that the original concept of "punk" as a belief system/lifestyle is as ridiculous as the concept of Anarchy. I don't know where you're coming from.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 8:23 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Jesse, how old are you? Are you close to 40? If that was the case then i would beleive you

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 5:09 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Very good, nice to have the old stuff in good quality and the covers although slow are extremely good.

    Posted by Fuzzy on 2005-01-25 04:11:34
    My Score:

    No mention of "Notes on Pulling the Sky Down"? That's my favorite SA song.

    Posted by ElVaquero on 2005-01-25 03:23:33
    My Score:

    At least we can all agree that the intro for the review is terrible and terribly overused, no?

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 3:07 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    They're a Quintet. (unless that has very recently changed)

    Posted by Fuzzy on 2005-01-25 02:43:14
    My Score:

    Jesse, are you well versed in the historical and theoretical concepts of anarchy? And have you ever visited any functioning collectives? I'm just wondering why you write off anarchy as a method of gathering people, is it from experience or from a misconception of what it actually is?

    Posted by Jesse on 2005-01-25 02:17:07
    My Score:

    Dude, it's a sad day when you feel the need to correct yourself due to comments made by a douchewad like me. Come on, nobody else validates my opinion on this website, and people will crucify you for doing so. You better hope that nobody read that comment. They'll try to drag you down and set you up right next to me in the pits of hell.

    Posted by pwfanatic on 2005-01-25 02:00:49
    My Score:

    i guess i should have been more specific. i was talking about the genre of punk, not any lifestyle choice, political movement or whatever anyone thinks that punk (not music genre) is.

    Posted by Jesse on 2005-01-25 01:47:46
    My Score:

    Nothing died, it was just never an actual movement like people treat it. It's as silly of a concept as Anarchy. Now if you're talking about a style of music, then yes, there is such a thing as punk rock.

    Posted by Psychoos231 on 2005-01-25 01:34:10
    My Score:

    “Where Are They Now” is especially catchy

    Thats because Cock Sparrer kick ass

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 1:14 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    No Jesse reviews!!! Rejoice!! Now if only he would shutup and go away completely, considering NO ONE cares about what he thinks of punk. Annoying little kid.

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 1:06 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    Who gives a fuck what it is, if its alive or not, or what it exactly means. Thats not the fucking point. The point is to have no point. To be okay with whatever the fuck you feel like being okay with. At least thats what it means to me. If you believe its something that dies everytime the tides of the underground change in a way you cant deal with then I feel sorry for you.

    -!Greenvandal!

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 1:03 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    mediocrity rules man

    Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, January 25, 2005 at 12:53 AM (EST)
    My Score:

    I don't buy this "punk's dead" crap. It seems like parts of the scene sometimes stagnate or get dragged into the corporate music scene, but there are always other bands that push the limits, maintain the DIY ethic, and make great original music.

    Posted by TheOneTrueBill on 2005-01-25 00:53:12
    My Score:

    Jesse is a contradictory term!

    Posted by Jesse on 2005-01-25 00:40:54
    My Score:

    News flash: punk was never really alive. True "punk" is a contradictory process. Worship Sex Pistols and the Ramones all you want but they weren't anything more than media hype for PR dudes. Sure the music is great, but this whole "punk" label (encompassing politics and attitude and all that) is a bunch of made up jargon for teenagers.