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Born to Lose

Saints Gone Wrong
2008
Altercation

Born to Lose - Saints Gone Wrong (Cover Artwork)

Review by: Manic
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Published on March 24th 2009

Saints Gone Wrong is a ticking time bomb of an album set to explode with the same fiery intensity that has shot bands like the Street Dogs and Dropkick into the public spotlight.

Amazingly catchy hooks and driving bass lines serve as the meat and potatoes on Saints and it’s no wonder that the band wrapped up a two-month long tour of Europe before writing this record. The whole thing pays homage to the `77 punk spirit and manages to capture their live element really well. Off the stage and into the studio is a notion that speaks very loudly here.

Many people would admit this feat as one that’s particularly hard for most artists to achieve, but Born to Lose effortlessly nail it. The live vigor is there with just enough polish to make you pause and gape like a deer caught in the high beams of a `68 Dodge Charger.

Songs like “Long Hard Road,” “The Great Beyond,” and “Give Us Hate” set the tone for a band that seems to shoot out like a rocket with fists raised and frothy pints in hand.

Described as “working class pop-punk” and “pub punk” by those in their camp, Born to Lose manage to represent the pop-punk element by way of catchy rhythms and streamlined hooks, but do so with just enough angst and venom to allow them to come into their own as a solid and unified outfit.

Born to Lose expand on a genre best known for songs riddled with bubblegum-popping lyrics and prom night love sentiments and do so with an unbridled intensity that makes them more than just a garden-variety pop-punk band. The whoa-oh-ohs are there, sure, but this reviewer would be damned to write off this group as one that’ll fall through the cracks and lay on the industry’s cutting room floor.

Give it a listen; these guys aren’t going away anytime soon, and Saints is a strong testament to that notion.

The title track seems to scream it rather loudly: “We are the saints gone wrong!” No shit. Now, can I get an amen to go with that cold Budweiser?

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Posted by SilentStorms on 2009-03-27 13:54:33

This sounds way too punk for me. Pass.

Posted by Ravnos on 2009-03-27 10:50:35

Johnnyz77 is right. American Budweiser is just fucking awful. So is Coors, Miller, and PBR, for that matter. Macro-brewed beer is no different than mainstream anything else, bland and catering to as many tastes as possible without doing anything really well. Support your local microbreweries, any major city probably has at least a half dozen (ten times that if you're in Portland or greater Vancouver), I'm sure one of them brews something you'll be interested in, and it'll taste way better than fucking Bud.

Posted by mikexdude on 2009-03-26 09:52:49

Semen

Posted by Johnnyz77 on 2009-03-25 11:37:52

bud is one of the worst beers out there i must say. No thanks. i prefer drinking something that is not watered down and has some beer taste.

Posted by xote on 2009-03-25 05:59:48

Horrible band name.

Posted by telegraphrocks on 2009-03-24 19:01:35

I was born to be a cholo.

Posted by Ike_Ness on 2009-03-24 17:43:38

This band is pretty good. Haven't heard this new one yet, though.

To Hey Asshole: The review states that the band is "Described as 'working class pop-punk' and 'pub punk'", so I think he means '77 punk, more in the vein of the Clash's first album. Ramones and SW didn't really have many working class anthems.

Posted by hooverstreet on 2009-03-24 17:20:36

I enjoy this band quite a bit but this record is a step down for them. And comparing it to anything by Dropkick Murphys is a misrepresentation. The band that this CD sound most like is Blood for Blood. That band's influence on this record is apparent throughout.

Posted by Hey_Asshole on 2009-03-24 14:50:42

how about bands stop paying tribute to the 77 spirit.

let us talk on the level for a moment. shitty street punk bullshit is NOT 77 influenced punk. the only bands that are even close to that whole thing are the fucking pop punk bands.

The Queers, Screeching Weasel, and Teenage Bottlerocket are far closer to the "77" sound than most of these shitty "melodic street punk" bands.

these are more "Oi" bands...and that shit did not even hit until 79/80

Posted by mattfault on 2009-03-24 12:48:30
My Score:

I have yet to hear this album but love the band. Can't wait to hear this!

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