The Living End- Roll On

Roll On is The Living End's second album. It was released in 2001, three years after their self-titled debut).

For Roll On, the band wanted to distance themselves from their previous punkabilly sound, with a complex album of pub-rock operas. "Pub-rock operas???" you might be thinking. But I think it is the best description for this album: imagine AC/DC condensing Wagner's Ring Cycle into 48 headbanging minutes. That's what we're dealing with here. The end result is exhausting- both physically and mentally- but this combination of art-rock complexity and and infectious pub rock anthems is very rewarding.

The opening song, Roll On, makes it perfectly clear that the band's punkabilly days are behind them, but without too much artsy stuff (yet...) to scare people off. This continues for Pictures in the Mirror and Riot on Broadway, with both being radio-friendly high-intensity singles. The recording of the vocals sounds a bit thin, but otherwise the recording quality is very good. It is raw but still composed, and holds up well after 13 years.

We enter the rabbit-hole with Staring at the Light. As is necessary when condensing 4 nights of opera onto one CD (figuratively speaking), every song is a barrage of musical ideas. Often the songs have very abrupt transitions and are barely hanging together as a song, but all of the ideas are very good in isolation.

Blood on Your Hands sums up the album in a song: a plethora of ideas shoehorned together, some clever experimental bits and an epic pub rock chorus. The result: brilliant. Next up is Revolution Regained, a great pop song (probably the simplest song on the album), and also my favourite track. As some respite for the ending, Uncle Harry is a simple, silly ditty about a relative urinating in a bathtub!

In the Hottest 100 Australian Albums of All Time list, The Living End's self-titled album charted higher at number 4. While that album is more unique, I wouldn't be surprised if, over time, Roll On overtakes it in popularity. In my humble opinion, behind all the complexity (and partly because of it), Roll On is an all-time classic album of Aussie rock.

Favourite songs

Roll On, Pictures in the Mirror, Riot on Broadway, Carry Me Home, Dirty Man, Blood on your Hands, Revolution Regained, Killing the Right, Uncle Harry

Would I buy it again?

Yes