| CD REVIEW The Living End |
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Band: The Living End “I think this is Dance music, “ my editor-in-chief said when we were going through the leftover heap of April released albums-to-be-reviewed. “Right,” I answered, “then you gotta let me do that,” and while taking over the promo copy of their latest album I though “The Living End…dance music? Nah! Don’t I know these guys from somewhere?” And sure enough, I do, because as it turns out I happen to have bought this Aussie trio’s self-titled 1998 debut album…somewhere I the last 4 or 5 years. Never had the chance to listen to it with the necessary attention it deserved, and therefore still stored among a heap of other things that still await my attention (you wouldn’t beliéve how big that stack has grown since I’ve come involved with Concrete Web! Right, so The Living End are from Melbourne (Victoria), Australia, and were formed by lead singer/ guitarist Chris Cheney and double bass player/ backing singer Scott Owen in 1994. Actually, TLE grew from the duo’s cover band Runaway Boys (so named after the hit song from Stray Cats, one of Cheney’s biggest influences in those days). The guys got their first break in 1995, when the sending of a t-shirt and demo tape to Green Day’s frontman Billy Joe Armstrong resulted in a support slot on Green Day’s upcoming Australian tour! Following that, the guys recorded a couple of EPs which they sold at their shows, and which eventually got some moderate radio airplay from youth radio network Triple J. Then the guys record and release their Second Solution/ Prisoner Of Society double A-sidesingle, which quickly became a national hit in Australia. Although it only peaked at #4 on the ARIA Top 50 Singles charts (for several weeks during 1998), it díd last a staggering 47 weeks in the charts, and became the highest selling Australian single in the ‘90s! Evidently, the sky was the limit from then on, the band’s ensuing debut album was a hit Down Under and became the 2nd best selling album in Australia (meanwhile it was pushed to 3rd position), charting at #1 and now having sold Platinum 5 times already. The album started a landslide at the annual ARIA Awards in the years to come, starting off with awards for “Best Group” and “Best New Artist” in 1999. 2000’s album Roll On was perhaps more creative, the band displaying a wider array of their influences, but didn’t achieve the same success in The Land Of Oz. In turn, some recognition came from the US, where the band saw its album released through major label Warner Bros’ subsidiairy Reprise Records (whom even re-issued the debut album) and even performed at the late night variety shows of Conan O’Brien and David Letterman. 2001 was a quiet period for the band, as a result of Cheney having to recover from a car accident. In 2002 the band’s line-up saw it’s currently last change, when drummer Andy Strachan joined the fold. To test out his abilities as a live musician, and new material for their upcoming album Modern ARTillery, the trio formed The Longnecks (an alias which the band would later re-use to test out new material…other aliases used for surprise gigs in regional Victoria would be Glen Waverly & The Mentones, The Dovetones, Roller Toasters, Don Caster & The Dandenongs, and Redwings). 2003’s Modern ARTillery turned out to be a return to a musical simplicity for the band in most of the tracks, and even though it was different from he Punkabilly style of the debut, it saw a return to extensive radio play. Intensive touring followed, including appearances at some of the biggest festivals. Still, although there was a lot of ooh-ahh about the band’s “return “after their silent period, the slight stylistic change led to comparatively slower sales than for the debut and sophomore album. Late 2004 saw the release of the band’s singles collection From Here On In (including also two previously unreleased tracks), which also included a DVD (a collection of their music video clips, plus selected live tracks from TLE’s appearances at the Splendour In The Grass and Big Day Out festivals in Australia, and the Summersonic festival in Japan), a Rockumentary of the band’s history. Fourth album State Of Emergency came in December 2005, and debuted at #1 on the Aria Albums Chart. Overall, the album again showed a further simplification of the music, the material being remeniscent even more to the band’s earlier material…even though the influences of Pop Punk increasingly pushed back the Rockabilly influences in the band’s “Punkabilly” style! The first two singles culled from the album made it into the Top 10 of the ARIA singles charts, but the success of the two following were ever decreasing. The album (issued during July 2006 in the US through Billy Joe Armstrong’s label Adeline Records in collaboration with Canada’s EastWest Records) was however and overall successful one, getting a nomination for a 2006 J Award, and taking Jack Awards for “Best Live Band”, “Best TV Live Performance”, “Best Performer” (Cheney) and “Best Drummer”…making TLE the most Jack Awards honoured band each year and overall so far! Around late 2006 Cheney developed a burn-out, due to experiencing a writers block and being sick of the constant touring, in combination with a feeling that his life was going nowhere. So, for the next half year, he took his first break from the music business in 10 years…well, actually he had effectively broken from the band at that point (a small detail in the band’s history which would remain secret until early 2008), and in the first half of 2007 he would occupy himself with family life. Meanwhile, his bandmates were trying to write a follow-up album, and the band released the radio-only single “Rising Sun” (a cover taken from the Standing On The Outside Cold Chisel tribute album). Cheney’s bandmates eventually persuaded him in playing at the May festival The Great Escape, and after that the trio started work on writing new material. This was interrupted with an August UK tour, where State Of Emergency was released that same month through Deck Cheese Records. Two new songs were debuted at the Melbourne EG Awards, and next up the guys again went on the road as The Longnecks to try out new material. Cheney was caught mentioning that the new tracks played were among the most exciting in his career, that, ”…there is a heavieness and depth to the new stuff that we simply haven’t had before…” Well, at least he was optimistic about the future again! White Noise (recorded in Hoboken, New Jersey and mixed in Atlanta, Georgia)saw its Australian release on July 19, 2008, launched with an in-store appearance at Sydney’s Virgin Megastore, wwhere the band spend almost 2 hours signing copies of the album for fans. Obviously, something positive was brewing, and in fact the album was awarded the prize of “Best Rock Album Of 2008” at the ARIA Awards. In support of the album TLE made several TV appearances all over Australia. To date, and starting with the album title track (which was issued ahead of the album) three radio singles were culled from the album. To coincide with the release of the album in the UK, the band was over in Europe for a short tour, starting at Belgium’s Groezrock festival, and are currently following that up with performances in Australia (besides doing headliner shows, there’s also the dates on the travelling Groovin’ The Moo festival), and in early June, before returning to Europe (for gigs in Germany, Austria, and Scandinavia), the guys will also be travelling to Japan for a trio of gigs. How about the album? Although a comparison to ‘90s Punk revivalists Rancid certainly holds, the band do not consider themselves to be a Punk band, merely a Rock and Roll band influenced by Punk. TLE considers itself to be a Rock ‘n’ Roll band based on Punk ethics, previously citing the likes of Iggy pop, The Who, and The Jam as sharing the same ideals in their social comments on what’s goin’ on around them (a social awareness which the band also displays in their life, not only playing relief shows for the victims of the recent Victoria bushfires, but also giving away a complete drum kit for auction to benefit the Red Cross organisation). When listening to the material on White Noise (the three singles are all posted at myspace.com/thelivingend, alongside 3 older songs…including their initial hit song “Prisoner Of Society”), you may feel that the Rockabilly factor in the band’s music is rather on a low level (I even have doubts about whether any stand-up bass is being played, as I’m missing the typical sound that instrument makes), but you’ll also have to admit that is still there! Album closer “Sum Of Us” also has a bit of organ in it, giving the track a The Clash-ish sound overall! Nice, and with the couple of songs where the Rockabilly influence doés come through more clearly, it also makes for the necessary variety on the album overall! End conclusion? This is the kind of album you wouldn’t mind putting on during a warm Summer’s evening, while you’re enjoying a cold drink on the porch. And the words uttered give you enough to ponder about, so as you won’t fall asleep while moving that rocking chair! Still, although I dó have mild feelings for this kind of music and thoroughly enjoy its coming into my life on a regular basis, it’s not essential for my personal life’s continuation. Fell free to differ in opinion! 89/100 Tony. |