In this day and age, it seems to take way more effort than it should to get a new band's name out there. There are so many ways people can check out a new band, not to mention it's so much easier than it has been in the past. It used to be that you had to release a song on a compilation to sort of get people to check you out, but now that compilations are nearly obsolete due to websites like MySpace and Purevolume - hell, the Internet in general - it shouldn't take any effort. Or should it? I understand when a label is promoting a newer band that they have to sort of bait the hook, so to speak, but too many labels tend to rely on the "This sounds like: *insert popular band* and *another popular band*!" technique.
Dead To Me were advertised by Fat Wreck as sounding like "punk rock that blends Jawbreaker and Stiff Little Fingers." I must admit, that's a pretty fucking heavy comparison, and chances are, most people who love those bands probably listened to them with high expectations and then immediately went "What the fuck are the dudes at Fat Wreck smoking?" Dead to Me does not actually sound like those bands when you give it a listen. Is it misleading? Yeah, sort of. Is it wrong? No, it's not. They weren't just making it up, unlike the loony comparisons that the stickers Victory slaps on every new "mosh-core" band seem to tout. The comparisons are subtle, a word that Victory clearly doesn't believe in.
Cuban Ballerina opens with the excellent "Don't Lie" which has ex-One Man Army vocalist Jack Dalrymple back in front of the mic with a vengeance. This fast little number comes complete with some "so-true-it-hurts" lyrics (Baghdad kids on CNN / Had never heard the term phantom limbs / A second before U.S. tanks were deployed / And land mines don't lie. / It's a shame that their city got invaded / But modern first world conveniences / Don't grow on trees. / SUV's and the morbidly obese don't lie.) and damn-fine hook. Songs such as this should be all a label needs to bait a listener, not name-dropping marketing.
Dalrymple splits vocal duties right down the middle with Western Addiction bassist Chicken, who does an equally superb job in providing memorable hooks coupled with lyrics that are so honest that it's hard to believe. It's more than obvious that he has dealt with drug addiction and heavy depression because he lays it all out in front of the listener without shame. No elaborate parallels or analogies, the man spills his insides out all over this disc with a passion that makes the songs shine, plain and simple.
The best aspect of Chicken's lyrics is the positivity they exude. The topics of addiction and depression are clearly expressed from the mind of someone who has conquered both, making the sheer honesty he expresses even more admirable.
As for those subtle comparisons, songs like the phenomenal "The Something New" and brooding "Writing Letters" reflect the Jawbreaker comparison quite well, though it's not entirely obvious. The comparison to Stiff Little Fingers happens to be a more fitting and direct comparison because it's more noticeable with just about every song, but it's a far cry from a carbon copy, that's for sure.
My single complaint: what's up with the volume? There's nothing wrong with the mix because no instrument overpowers another, but the actual volume of the album itself is lower when placed next to other new albums. It may not mean much when you're listening to it individually, but if you enjoy creating mix CDs and you want to put some tracks from this album on there, they will definitely stand out as "quiet" tracks. It's not terribly quiet or anything, but it is noticeable.
Dead To Me's debut is impressive, and that's really all you need to know. If you're a fan of One Man Army's faster material, you will more than likely enjoy this (or at least the parts where Dalrymple chimes in), and if you like your punk fast and laden with hooks, this is undoubtedly worth a listen.
