Punknews.org

|
Sign In | create an account

Roger Miret and The Disasters

1984 (2005)
Hellcat Records

Reviewer Rating:

Contributed by: Adam
(others by this writer | submit your own)

Published on March 1st 2005

This late in the game Roger Miret's very good at what he does, so while 1984 is an album full of street punk clichés and free of any real surprises, it still manages to deliver a catchy batch of shout-along rock'n'roll. The Disasters continue to have a lot in common with the U.S. Bombs, as Miret spits out lyrics with the delivery of Duane Peters while the band's backing vocals are layered to drive the chorus hooks as deep as possible. Miret's not going to blow any minds with 1984 but there's a workmanlike quality here that's admirable.

While it would be easy to make the obvious criticisms (87% of the records in the genre must have songs titled "Riot, Riot, Riot" "Loud And Proud" and "Hooligans") it's hard to deny how good 1984 sounds. The guitar sound delivered by Miret and Rhys Kill is remarkably filled out and surprisingly crisp for the style. If the band set out to record a huge, driving back-to-basics rock'n'roll record then they've succeeded. Miret's vocals are at their most interesting when he's completely departed from anything resembling Agnostic Front. Check out the verses to "Street Rock N Roll" for an example, as his voice swaggers and hits those snotty 70's peaks that the Briefs do so well. Miret's tend to deliver slightly more melodic moments than many of the street punk bands with similar approaches. It's nice to hear that the gang vocals that populate nearly every chorus are actually singing something and not just shouting the slogan of the moment. Sure, you have to deal with more than a few lapses into thuggish lyricism, but Miret's got heart and that goes a long way.

The Disasters replaced their entire rhythm section in 2004, with Johnny Rioux moving on to the Street Dogs and Johnny Kray back in the Krays. Ably filling the void on bass and drums are Brian Darwas and Mike Mulieri. Yet despite this recent change it's clear that the two years spent touring behind their debut (and appearing on some bizarre bills, but I digress) have formed a very real bond in the quartet that goes beyond "side project." It's reflected in the tight batch of rock songs here. Of course Roger Miret And The Disasters aren’t doing anything that Stiff Little Fingers or Sham 69 or even early Dropkick Murphys haven't already done, but they do it well. When it comes to revivalist genres that's really what counts.

Login to rate this album

People who liked this also liked:

Please login or register to post comments.

What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?

Share your opinion by posting comments on the stories that interest you
Rate music and bands and help shape the weekly top ten
Let Punknews.org use your ratings to help you find bands and albums you might like
Customize features on the site to get the news the way you want.

Anonymous (May 24, 2006)

to the gutwayyyyyyy down there who said agnostic front needs t ogo, and roger needs to stay with this band. i can see why u'd say that. they are now a metal band, which kinda sucks being they were a great hardcore band in the 80s. but suicidal tendencies did the same thing. oh well. I think it's cool that roger is still playing punk, since agnostic front went all metal.

Anonymous (March 7, 2005)

i was born in 1984, nothing cool happened. oh yea, punk rock is lame.

Anonymous (March 3, 2005)

it has absolutely nothing to do with the book. like roger said, its about a place in time in his life, the year 1984. all the songs are about stuff that was happening to him in that year

Anonymous (March 3, 2005)

Why do you say that? I can tell you're a Thrice lover

theevilmonkey (March 3, 2005)

I bet they haven't even read the fucking book.

Psychoos231 (March 3, 2005)

You're going to get your comment deleted again...
yeah its a lil better than the first one.

Anonymous (March 3, 2005)

Neve Campbell has a tight a-hole.
This album will hopefully be better than their last.

The_Wang (March 2, 2005)

and what if you are?

Anonymous (March 2, 2005)

1984 is also the year vitcim in pain came out if im not mistaken

Anonymous (March 1, 2005)

a decent album. yes, generic, but still solid. actually, i think lyrically 1984 is superior to the first record. but its also alot slower. which, yeah its not all about speed, but theres much more energy in these lyrics than theyre reflecting in the music itself. but do yourself a favor and see these guys live, they always kick up even their fastest songs a few notches. and to whomever compared janie hawk to a good charlotte song...well, thankfully for you, you obviously aren't very familiar with good charlotte. ive heard more than i cared to of their "music" and simply mentioning something someone is wearing..i dunno, i dont see the connection. personally, i think janie hawk is the standout track on this album and will go down as one of the punk classics of 2005.

Anonymous (March 1, 2005)

Best album of the year!

lushj (March 1, 2005)

This sounds pretty luke warm. Too many lyrical cliches, not enough catchy song writing. It's competent. That's the best thing I can say about it.

Anonymous (March 1, 2005)

Roger Miret is about 5'8" because i met him and he stands about as tall as me.

Psychoos231 (March 1, 2005)

5'8" or 5'2" .....either way that is short, he looks short on the cover too

Anonymous (March 1, 2005)

I like this band, but Agnostic Front is better. And 1984 is also a Van Halen album title...

Anonymous (March 1, 2005)

roger isn't very tall. 5'8 my guess?

Anonymous (March 1, 2005)

5'2" my guess

Anonymous (March 1, 2005)

This album is pretty okay after the first listen. I heard it again a couple days ago and got a couple of the chorus' in my head, so it's growing on me.
I think the first album is BRILLIANT!!!! like the guinness commercials, but 1984 seems a little too poppy. Still good music, though.

TheNightProwler (March 1, 2005)

I really didn't like the first Roger Miret & The Disasters album, it just sounded very boring, generic and lifeless to me except for one song that I thought was really good. I gave it a chance to grow on me but it just wasn't happening so I sold it. I also saw the Disasters live opening for Lars & The Bastards and their live performance made me feel the same way, so I’m doubtful about this album.

I heard the songs “Riot Riot Riot” and “Janie Hawk” and they’re good songs but I bought the first Disasters album because of the one good song that they put out on samplers only to find out that the rest of the material disappointed me so I don’t want to let the same thing happen again.

Psychoos231 (March 1, 2005)

How tall is Roger? .....good review by the way.

joeg (March 1, 2005)

It's Mer-ray.

sickboi (March 1, 2005)

OK, is it pronounced "Mer-ray" or "Mear-ret"?

gladimnotemo (March 1, 2005)

I felt scared when I saw the Disasters as Punks vs Pyschos last year; Miret has some stage presence for being so short.

The first album had some duds ("Gal Friend"), and I've only heard a few songs off of this...hopefully it's good and/or better.

Anonymous (March 1, 2005)

i really liked the first one. this one has still yet to grow on me.

The_Wang (March 1, 2005)

score is for George Orwell and Ride the Lightning

ElVaquero (March 1, 2005)

how fucking hilarious to see the most and least pretentious albums of this year right next to each other?

Anonymous (March 1, 2005)

Man, does anyone else think Janie Hawk sounds like a Good Charlotte song? "Leopard print creepers and bondage pants"??

cdogg (March 1, 2005)

Being a fan of both street punk and Roger Miret, I was somewhat disappointed with The Disasters' last release. It had a few good songs, and the "NY Belongs to Me" cover ruled, but the majority of the songs seemed kind of average. After reading this review, I think I'm gonna check this out and give them another shot. Nicely written Adam.

haggard1one (March 1, 2005)

very good review, i like how its put together. good job

shindo (March 1, 2005)

"Adam, why didn't you insult--or at least mention--the cover?"

I have nothing in particular to say about the cover. I actually think the way the digipac looks is quite neat (it stands out well on a shelf for whatever reason) and I like a lot of the work Ghost Town has done in the past. Sure, the "American flag / punk band against a brick wall" thing has been done a billion times, but it fits.

-adam