I read the lyrics before I listened to the cd, and in the spirit of the lyrics I’m gunna be completely honest with this review. I reckon there’s a bunch of gold in the lyrics, you just have to sift through the songs where Dylan talks about how angry he is. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the anger isn’t necessary or real, some of us have just heard it all before in the Warpath. So, to counterbalance this, heres what I reckon is the gold… Life in Paradise, the albums title track, speaks of working class New Zealand, where alcoholism and domestic abuse are rife and the gap between NZ’s rich and poor can be felt. Fall in Line and Busy Livin’ are no holes bared anthems about making your own way in the world and not buying into anybodies dream. No On Gets Out is definitely my favourite song of the album, mainly because it cuts to the heart of small town New Zealand, and familiar to most kids who didn’t grow up in the city. Heres what I reckon are the best lines in the album:
‘Broke down cars sit in front yards
Just like their owner their lives got too hard
The rain pours down and they rust away
People sit back as there lives decay
This is where booze get bought before food
It's more important than rent and school shoes
Most of the houses were built by the state
Poverty just breeds jealous hate’
Moving onto the controversial, Shook Ones with HD Steve, is a commentary definitely needed in our tiny community at the moment, and although it’s not how I would say it, someone needed to, and I’m glad it was Dylan and Steve.
In terms of the music, it’s not genius and its not complicated, but the recording is tight and everything sounds like it should. If you’re a audio geek like me, you’d hear things you think could sound better, but if your not, then your not going to be disappointed. All the songs are heavy without resorting to chuggy breakdowns and fast enough to keep the energy up. Spite has a cool lead break, but for most of the album the guitars are just doubled and split down the middle.
The album artwork is excellent, a grimy Hamilton montage complimenting the lyrics, and further strengthening the album as a package. It's simply, but well laid out, and the explanations of the songs leave no room for misinterpretation.
If I’m still being honest, the music still sounds a bit like the Warpath, yet with the stronger songs they stand on their own feet. It’s a marked progression from their ‘It Just Gets Worse’ demo, with two of the better songs making into the album, but most importantly it promises good things to come.
Bearing in mind I don’t listen to much music that sounds like this I’d give it a 3/5. But you can decide for yourself when you buy it.
Mon Mar 31, 2008