Strike Anywhere - Dead FM

Dead FM marks Strike Anywhere’s debut for punk rock giant Fat Wreck Chords, and sees the Richmond melodic hardcore quintet culling a more accessible, albeit not radio-friendly fashion. The group’s third LP maintains its roots to highly political, anthem-ready hardcore, and while Dead FM does little in the creativity department, it’s another installment in the rallying cries of today’s underground scene. Not long ago, I was discussing Dead FM with a friend of mine, and his opinion was something along the lines of Strike Anywhere being one of those bands you can listen to and they’ll always remind you of your first venture into the world of punk rock. At least, that’s for us who reached that sacred land in our teenage years, when Fat Mike was God, we didn’t need The Clash because we had Rancid, and Operation Ivy were forebears for anything worth hearing. That’s not so much the sentiment held after growing up a little bit, but I knew what my friend meant to say—Strike Anywhere is a constant. You know what to expect from the band, like you know what to expect from most of the band’s peers. Musical adventurism isn’t on the agenda, but good times, sing-alongs and left-winged fist-pumping certainly are. As a lyricist, Thomas Barnett has matured, and includes explanations on some of his songs in the liner notes. Opener “Sedition” is about Barnett’s grandfather’s involvement in The Manhattan Project and the effects it has had on the singer’s family since, while “House Arrest” chronicles the detainment of Barnett and his friends in a Japanese border-crossing incident. On the musical end, Strike Anywhere does little to differentiate Dead FM from anything in its past, save for songwriting that’s catchier, especially “Prisoner Echoes”, which probably has the most memorable chorus that the band has ever written. Strike Anywhere is a band to be praised for its progressive politics and heart, but at the end of the day Dead FM just sounds a whole lot like Change is a Sound and Exit English. On a positive note though, it’s not a step back. [www.fatwreck.com]