The Living End- The Living End

Riding on the back of the Prisoner of Society single, this was hugely successful debut for the Australian punkabilly band."Punkabilly"? Yes, this album has the honour of single-handedly inventing a genre, or at least bringing it to mainstream attention.

Prisoner of Society and Second Solution are angsty teen-punk anthems, but otherwise it's a friendly rock album rather than trying to burn down the establishment. In case you noticed that these two songs are not in the "Favourite" list below, it's just because I'm more familiar with- and prefer- the versions from the EP. These songs were originally recorded for another record label, and I find the album versions have an unpolished "live" sound, in particular the hollow bass guitar sound.

All Torn Down and Save the Day are brilliant oddballs for this album, and both successful singles. All Torn Down is the closest to a ballad for this album, with a unique jazz-rock style. On paper, the song could be described as ska, but like Boys Light Up by Australian Crawl, I think it is more a pub-rock song which happens to have a guitar playing on offbeats. And the drum fill before the final chorus is simple genius.  

Save the Day is a great tale about the unacknowledged sacrifices of those who fight to defend us. With heaps of changes in style and little left-field musical ideas thrown in, perhaps it was their warm up to the complexity of Roll On!

Speaking of storytelling, the lyrics are great at personalising the many topics covered. The subjects range from the Dunblain School Massacre (Monday- sadly a story as relevant today as ever), to generations continuing class divides (West End Riot), mental illness (Bloody Mary) and urban over-development (All Torn Down).

As for the recording quality, it is not a "big" record with Hollywood magic to give a stadium-rock impact. However, it is well layered, and the sound from each instrument is good enough. Some people might find the vocals on this album a bit "thin" sounding, though.

Trapped sees the band team up with their buddies from Area 7 for a punkabilly-ska hybrid. Unfortunately, it's a bit awkward in the quieter bits, but things come together better when the tempo and volume increases. Towards the end of the album, the songs stick more closely to the punkabilly style (arguably getting into a bit of a rut). But then the final track, Closing In, is an adventurous instrumental which jumps all over the place and even includes wacky time signatures. In isolation, the song is probably too disjointed to be a good listen, but I really enjoy the "jazz spirit" (a more refined version of "punk rebellion"??) of putting something this weird on a rock album!

The million dollar question is: "is this album dated now?" To me it still sounds unique, although the guitar sound would probably have a lot more "size" if it were recorded to day. But I've got too many fond memories of this album to be objective, so I'd be keen to hear what any of today's kids think of this CD.

As for my controversial (if anyone reads it?!) statement about Roll On being more of a classic album... well I really like both albums. I still think Roll On has more polish and wider-ranging appeal. But this debut album deserves much respect for coming out of nowhere and introducing a new style. Anyways, enough with the pissing contest- both are great!

Favourite songs

Growing Up, West End Riot, Bloody Mary, Monday, All Torn Down, Save the Day, Have They Forgotten, Fly Away, I Want A Day, Closing In
 

Would I buy it again?

Yes. What started for me as an angsty teen rebillion ditty has evolved into a rich variety of rock over the years, and going back to where it all started is as enjoyable as ever.