The So So Glos
Kamikaze
Votiv Music
There’s a feeling of urgency in The So So Glos sound, and even more so in the insistent vocals of frontman Levi Zaru (Aleksander), like they’re racing against time to say everything it is that they need to say. Whether it’s venting their frustration at their generation’s distracted existence (“A.D.D. Life”), criticizing the shady side of the music industry (“Fool On The Street’”), or confessing bouts with depression and time spent in a mental institution (“Inpatient”) this proud to be Brooklyn band is a band on a mission. Yet somehow they’ve managed to make their ideologies punchy, fun, and even dancey.
“Dancing Industry” could have been a Springsteen hit in his Glory Days. “Going Out Swingin’,” a praise-the-underdog party song inspired by the NY Mets vibes like a balmy night at the ballpark drunk on cheap beer and sick on hot dogs, but – ya know – in the best kind of way. “Cadaver” takes the garage muddiness of “Woolly Bully” and drags it through Rancid terrain, while spitting out the fiery tagline “Give me one reason to give a shit!”
All of Kamikaze, the band’s 5th album, betrays a solid background in the nineties wave punk revival, but with a healthy appreciation of the punk and garage rock that came long before – recording with John Reis (Rocket From the Crypt, Drive Like Jehu) didn’t hurt matters. “Kings County II Ballad of So So Glo” takes those roots and redefines them within the blurry lines of these modern no-genre times. It takes the step that Green Day took when they set out to make punk rock operas, and it hints at a future So So Glos project that may be more than just another great punk record.
In the mean time, here’s another great punk rock record!
