The Living End- The Ending Is Just The Beginning Repeating

This is the band's 6th album, which was released in 2011. The album is the follow up to White Noise and continues the heavier, slower style that White Noise pioneered.

First up, In The Morning is a dog's breakfast. The narrative good and the riffs are all solid, but it's too stop-start to ever settle into a groove and the overall arrangement reeks of throwing musical ideas at a wall without any regard for cohesion.

It's a similar story for Heatwave. The riff is crunching brilliance and there are plenty of infectious moments, but it's drowning in all the extra fluff that's been thrown at it. Too many cameos, too smart for it's own good; like the worst of Modern Artillery (ouch, that's a cheap shot!).

What a coincidence that two albums in a row feature a song called Machine Gun! The Living End's song is worlds apart from Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's, from the moment it kicks off with headbanging awesomeness. From there, the Clash-esque verses are brilliant, also building nicely towards each chorus. Even sitting in my leather armchair trying to objectively chin-scratch as a write this, it is impossible to not start furiously headbanging! And it all holds together very cohesively, thank goodness.

Speaking of objectivity, it is also impossible for me regarding For Another Day. Originally, I wasn't a fan. It seemed musically bland and aimlessly drifted with vague motherhood statements for lyrics, U2 style. But the band used it as entrance music for a fantastic series of gigs, and now the association brings shivers down my spine every time I hear it. Great times.

Song For The Lonely has a nice cord progression, but that's the only nice thing I can say about it. Without any real melody, it relies on overdubs and effects to fluff up a fundamentally bland song. Somehow, the verses feel overly preachy and detached. Ride The Wave Boy also falls flat for me, but I give them credit for trying something unusual with the chorus. On the bright side, the narrative is solid and the contrast between the tension and resolution sections work well.

Halfway through the album here, this Living End fanboy is doing a bit of painful soul-searching. I don't expect the band to be trotting out the Prisoner of Society style until the end of time, bands must evolve and avoid stagnation. But the composition has been quite incoherent and, more crucially, this art-rock style gives the impression of emotional detachment. Anyway, enough of my whingeing, onto the rest of the album...

Resist is just what the doctor ordered. Up there with the classic songs Wake Up and Roll On, it is absolutely dripping with emotion. Towards the end of the song, the hollywood addons (overdubs, violins, etc) make another appearance. But this time, they compliment the song perfectly and form part of a great build-up to a grandiose ending.

Away From The City, United and Universe are pretty simple pop songs, but there's nothing wrong with that! The crunching riff-rock, 80s tribute and sci-fi disco-rock are all very well executed and enjoyable. A particular highlight is the chorus of United, which begins by restraining its energy, before it whips itself into an ever-increasing frenzy.

As for the title track, the lyrics of The Ending Is Just The Beginning Repeating are wonderfully introspective. But the highlight is the unusual musical style, particularly the very powerful mood that is established. For me, the vivid "storm in the desert" scene feels like blasting through a post-apocalyptic desert, Mad Max style. A great example of music as a totally immersive experience.

Favourite songs

Machine Gun, For Another Day, Resist, United, Universe, The Ending Is Just The Beginning Repeating

Worthwhile?

There's a few dud songs on this album, particularly when the songs feel emotionally detached. But when they put their hearts into it, the results are exceptional as usual. So that would be a "yes" from this here fan-boy.