The Living End--State of Emergency

Being American is sometimes (read: always) embarrassing. We’re a tad selfish with the whole natural resources thing, our attention spans are shallow and childish, and our tastes in music are just as shallow…most of the time at least. The Living End is a good example. They hail from Australia, and for some reason their latest work State of Emergency was hurt by a delayed release here in the States…primarily because of disinterest. What a crime. This album is the best pop-punk work I’ve heard in months, and that includes American Idiot by The Living End’s number one comparative artist: Green Day. Arguably (as will be argued by me), these guys blow the pants off Green Day, and State of Emergency should have swept through the States like a primeval wind-storm. Alas, my soap-box and I don’t control American tastes, so I will be satisfied by convincing you to go out and sneak a listen to The Living End—if you haven’t already.

Skinny ties and upright bass included, State of Emergency is an explosion of a pop-punk piece that includes horribly catchy tunes, one right after the other, and a general state of discontent towards the state of everything. "Wake Up" is probably the best example of this complaint, as singer Chris Cheney calmly instructs, along with a Floyd-like chorus of school-children: "So wake up / To the manipulation / Wake up / To the situation." The entire first half of the album is laden with punk rhythms just waiting for ears to lick up. From the stunningly fast guitar solo in "What’s On Your Radio" to the opening powerful chords of "’Til The End" (which will pull you into The Living End ‘til the end), State of Emergency rocks. "We Want More" sounds poignantly like earlier Green Day tracks, but frankly holds much more depth, more finely crafted instrumentals, and classier vocals.

The second half is a bit more pulled back. Tracks like "Nothing Lasts Forever" and "One Step Behind" find The Living End pulling back their formerly crashing instrumentals, opting instead for quiet verses and more moving choruses—giving Cheney to show off his lyrical might. This dip in intensity is a well-deserved break from the roller coaster of the opening tracks, and lets the closing songs come off much stronger than they would have if every single track were an tremendous sonic adventure. That’s not to say the middle tracks are bad, "Nowhere Town" still has a catchy pop melody, just with a light-punk influence. These scaled back tracks open up into the conclusion of the album, the blisteringly fast "Into The Red" which leaves the listener breathless from the mile-a-minute guitar solos…and strongly desirous to start the CD again. The Living End are wonderfully impressive in their latest musical addition, containing more depth and coming off as more catchy than their North American brethren—and perhaps humbling us Yanks.


(Published at MusicEmissions.com)