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Defiance, Ohio

The Fear, The Fear, The Fear (2007)
No Idea Records

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

Published on January 15th 2008

It seems as if The Great Depression was one of the most talked-about releases of 2006, yet somehow The Fear, The Fear, The Fear passed by in 2007 with little or no attention at all. A shame, really, as The Fear features some of the more impressive songwriting from the Bloomington-based sextet.

The album starts with some discordant staccatoed notes and jumps into a driving, unplugged punk anthem in the form of "Can't Stop, Won't Stop." It's more fist-pumping goodness that gets your heart pumping and seems like it could have been written solely to be an amazing opener for a live set. "The List" follows in more of the general mood of this release: melancholic, personal and introspective. This may be my favorite track on the album (tied with "Oh Cheri" and "Anxious and Worrying"). At this point I feel like the folks in D,OH are experiencing more of "the reality" of life and straying away from political rhetoric and more towards heartfelt examinations of what it takes to stay human and sincere in today's world. That's the gist of the album, at least for this listener.

Tracks like "The Condition," "The List," "Oh Cheri," "Now, Now, Now" and "Anxious and Worrying" all feel so much more mature than their previous compositions. Hints of this came on Depression, but have cemented themselves here. The band's pulling from personal experiences works to their advantages as they avoid the problems of falling into a rut, rehashing the same topics over again on each album. And that is something that they avoid heartily here, expanding their sound to be more lush and full. It's still the same band but you can hear them experimenting with more sounds, similar to tracks like "Oh, Susquehanna" and "Condition 11:11" on Depression.

But is it better than The Great Depression? I would hazard to say "no." For all of the greatness of The Fear having this mature outlook, it does feel a bit rushed. It seems like a few of these songs could have taken a bit more time to bake. However, even at their worst, Defiance, Ohio are better than most. As we see the "phenomenon" of folk-punk slowly eating itself, it's nice to know that, regardless of genre, there are bands that write songs from the heart and gut.

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Dsquared (August 28, 2008)

Its a waste of time to compare this to other albums. What it is is more heartfelt than the others, ventures outside of the political spectrum, and unlike with anti-flag it is greatly welcome here. with this the reviewer has hit the nail on the head about the change.

What gets me about this album is how powerful the aggressive songs on it are : The years, the fears, the sleep is one of my favourite songs.

gnarlybarley (March 1, 2008)

awesome album

awesome people

joeynukes (February 28, 2008)

Maybe not as stable as their previous album, its a grower. 'Ya really can't just pick it up and be happy. It ranges with really stunning tracks (ex. "Eureka!" "Anxious & Worrying" "Can't Stop, Won't Stop") to really unstunning tracks (ex. "Now, Now, Now" "The Condition").

Overall it doesn't really blend the pop folk and punk as well as Depression did, but its still great. Don't let your older brother who listens to Disturbed know you like this band however.

sciulli (January 23, 2008)

"The Condition" is such a sweet song.

feloniousjive (January 20, 2008)

This album is definitely a grower. Not enough female vocals though.

I really like "Eureka!" though, as I used to spend a lot of time there (not recommended).

names (January 17, 2008)

man, i was going to review this album. I guess i waited too long...

anyway, I think there was a lot left unsaid about this record in the review, but good overall. The record still hasn't really clicked with me yet, but for the most part, the material is pretty good.

briennis (January 16, 2008)

i may be the only person on earth who thinks this is better than the Great Depression.

misterspike (January 15, 2008)

I don't use torrents, but the band has also made this available on archive.org. I'm just sayin'.

notfeelingcreative (January 15, 2008)

Decent record, nowhere near as great as 'The Great Depression', but not terrible by any means.

punk_rawk_show (January 15, 2008)

Ive only ever listened to this band once, but i will be going to see them Tonight. Hopefully they are good

marcusd (January 15, 2008)

the list is such a good song.

ashtraymonument (January 15, 2008)

i liked it, but i was expecting much greater

thinkcrime (January 15, 2008)

I bought this album and listened to it right away all the way through, and I dunno it didn't click right away like "depression", so i was like ok...and I listened to it about four more times and all the way thought and was like oh shit this is an amazing album. For those that didn't like it, give it a few more tries maybe it will have the same effect. By far my favorite track, is "Anxious and Worrying" , "Eureka" and "Oh, Cheri". Enjoy Guyz!!!!

allon (January 15, 2008)

Isn't terrible by any means, but it's got nothing on The Great Depression

Hey_Asshole (January 15, 2008)

score is for "Can't Stop, Won't Stop"

the book about hip-hop...not the song

Hey_Asshole (January 15, 2008)

eh...i could never get in to this band. they always sounded a little too "against me! meets the riot folk collective". not a bad thing, per se'...but not good either.

GlassPipeMurder (January 15, 2008)

Tanks, tanks, tanks. Bombs, bombs, bombs.

score is for that song.

AlexBLP (January 15, 2008)

This was a real grower for me, the first few times I played it I felt like it was rushed too, or at least not 'finished'. But the more i listened to it, the less I tried to expect 'The Great Depression' and understood that while it's shorter and less expansive than that record, it's far more focused and in that respect, its like the concentrate squash that TGD was made from. The way the group works together on this one is so tight, these songs feel directed at a point, instead of spraying in all directions. 'Oh Cheri' has one of the best build-up/payoffs ive heard in a while, and the 'a-whoo-hoohoo!' at the end of 'The Condition' makes me smile every time.

Cox_Attack (January 15, 2008)

Andrew Jackson Jihads album was better but this rules too.

ollywood (January 15, 2008)

had a hard time getting into this one, maybe I'll try again

Torgo (January 15, 2008)

I love these guys, but not so much this album... I thought it had too much filler :(

Dante3000 (January 15, 2008)

True story, this whole review was written so Justin could use the phrase Bloomington-based sextet.
Dorkuls.
-Dante

skankbook (January 15, 2008)

Half the songs are great, the others are just good. I've listened to this a lot in the past few weeks, and I'm still trying to decide if it's better than "Great Depression." Score is for the artistic purplish mess that is the colored vinyl.