46 Short

Long Beach, CA's 46 Short hammered me with this, their 3rd full-length. Unfortunately, I never got to hear the band's previous releases on Know Records (1999) or GoKart Records (2004), but I will definitely try and pick them up whenever I get the chance, as this release is just some of the best `80s hardcore-influenced music I ever heard. When I listen to old Black Flag, MDC or Circle Jerks records these days, it kinda bothers me that their sound quality is outdated. Well, these 13 songs (actually, it's 14 with the hidden track, which I'm sure is a cover, but I can't place it) pick up just where these bands left off, and add a sound that is thick and biting without sounding old.

These days hardcore has as many variations as punk rock itself it seems; NYHC, post-hardcore, emocore, metalcore, hatecore, screamo...we have it all, and to be honest, none of those are my favorites. But this, my friends, is how I like my hardcore punk: fast and furious, with a singer that is still singing and not growling and who reminded me a lot of Jughead's Revenge -- fast (yet not too complex) chord progressions and a good backing vocalist that does his thing in the chorus, and not just "for-the-scream-of-it." On top of that you get some inspiring politically/socially conscious lyrics.

Out of my current favorite popular bands, maybe Paint It Black comes the closest to this sound, but this one is played just a couple dozen notches faster, and sounds filthier.

There's not really any breathing moments in this release; the songs just keep that same shredding pace, the guitars and drums that same attacking style, and I like almost every song on here. Absolute favorites might be "Human Race," "Left and Right" and "Questions of Futility," but I bet tomorrow I'll pick a few others.

Damn, what a relief to hear this sound again with superb production! Even though you probably weren't born yet in the early `80s, anyone who claims to like hardcore punk should check this out. It's mindblowing and got me rocking and shaking in my chair listening to it through my headphones at maximum volume.