Customer Reviews

State of Emergency

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was greatly dissapointed with modern artillery, but this album fully redeems the band in my opinion. Overall it's very mature and I would suggest buying this album if you liked the self titled album and roll on. Stand out singles include Wake Up (probably their best song ever), What's On Your Radio, and Long Live The Weekend.

you can listen to two of those singles here:

www.myspace.com/thelivingend

enjoy!

Good punk -- like any really good music -- is kinda hard to find. You have to sift through dozens of hack, ripoff bands before finding something with energy and brilliance.

And one good example is the Living End's latest album, "State of Emergency." The longstanding Aussie band mixes tightly-wound punk and kinetic instrumentation with some wicked musical aesthetics. It's pretty bloody hard to find a song on here that won't get your heartrate up through the roof.

It opens with an attention-grabbing bassline, which explodes into a fast-racing electric guitar riff. By the time it slows down into a steady punker, listeners will be hooked. "Countdown toward the end now/no need to panic, no need to panic now... I'm stepping on enemy lines/We're gonna take you to the end of the line!"

The songs that follow are just as taut as those lyrics, and they hardly ever slow down the machine-gun pace. There's the tight, winding punk-rockers, slow-burners, the dancey rockers, the rockabilly edge which harkens back to the band's roots, and the slower, drum-led "Order of the Day," which hints at a more epic sound.

Not every song is all rock'n'roll -- "No Way Out" is a gentle, sort of fuzzy acoustic melody that sounds almost like a folky ballad. It still has a rough edge, which explodes into rock'n'roll about halfway through the song. But it shows they can do more than just rock.

No rock pretensions, no ripping off the Clash or the Ramones. Best of all, absolutely ZERO boredom -- the Living End know how to rock. And unlike most rock bands, they know how to do it without sounding like they're playing the same bloody song over and over.

Instead, they break out with rapid-fire electric guitar and blasts of blasts here and there, with a sinuous line here and there to spice things up. They're fast, kinetic and the instrumentation is absolutely seamless, mixed in with some solid drums. Usually they repeat the riffs a few times to get toes tapping, then switch gears before it can get repetitive.

Nice lyrics too -- not brilliant lyrically, but they have the same sense of urgency and tension that the first song does, which match the music to a tee ("Cause they don't wanna know about the things you've done/They don't wanna know about the damage done/Everyone is going down!"). And frontman Chris Cheney has an excellent voice, strong and raw, but with a melodious edge.

Rough, tightly-wound and ripe for repeated listening, the Living End show what they're made of in "State of Emergency" -- and apparently they're made of raw diamond.

All I can say is that this album is incredible. I have had it for about 2 months and I have not stopped listening to it. It is so fast paced, has great addicting riffs and meaningful lyrics. Their best album by far. Songs to remember on the cd are: 'Til the End, Long Live the Weekend, Wake Up, Nothing Lasts Forever, One Step Behind and State of Emergency. These are the songs I found to be singing to all the time. Truely a great piece of work. Make sure to catch them on tour! They're absolutely incredible live. :)

It took a long time for TLE to release this CD, and it sounds like they did a lot of growing up, both personally and musically (having children will do that for you). The songs are closer in nature to those on 2003's "Modern Artillery," while the sound is similar to 2001's "Roll On." Guitarist-vocalist Chris Cheney continues to expand his range as a writer, at least musically, and there is little of the punkabilly sound from their debut album. He's singing better than ever, too. While the level of intensity recalls "Roll On," the production is surprisingly muddled, considering that the usually inventive Nick Launay was at the board. He has opted for more of a "wall of sound" approach, rather than the mainstream clarity of "Modern Artillery" (which I like more than most TLE fans, apparently) or the near-perfect muscular roar of "Roll On" (which Launay also produced). Many of the songs on this CD are amazing, the best they've done; I just wish they were recorded/produced like the songs on "Roll On." The singles "Long Live the Weekend" and "What's On Your Radio?" are about as good as blazing guitar rock gets; the million dollar riffs and addictive choruses add up to irresistible and totally invigorating sing-along rockers. The opening "Til the End" reminds me of fellow Aussies (and major TLE influence) Midnight Oil, as do "Black Cat" and a few other tracks. "We Want More" should please the older fans who want their raging rockabilly; it's a real stomper. As always, the middle of the CD features the slower and/or more melodic songs, and this time they all work very well. There's not a bad song in the bunch. I would recommend "Roll On" for those who favor a stronger punk-rockabilly approach, "Modern Artillery" for a more accessible rock sound, and "State of Emergency" for those who prefer something in between. But all three are worth owning if you like what The Living End does. And I do.

I've been a fan of TLE for many years now and this CD clearly shows how the boys have progressed in their years of playing. Their first two cds (self-titled and Roll On) were great steps towards a sound that they were making. After the release of Roll On, the boys hit a brick wall with Chris Cheney's accident and Trav leaving the band. Modern ARTillery was not a good album for TLE to release. On its own, it was a good CD but compared to the rest of the work, it was just mediocre. This new release of State of Emergency shows how the band has gotten better with time. Self-titled was my favorite with Roll On as a second but with SoE out, it is my number 1 release by them. High energy with a variety of songs throughout the cd. Good for all fans.

i wish we had band this cool in the U.S....

TLE returns with an amazing rock album...the punkabilly element is there...but so is every modern rock element that's worth hearing. big guitars, big vocal hooks...man. these guys are great.

i am a 40 year old jaded musician...haha...but these guys are doing it the way it SHOULD BE DONE. good songs, good playing, good band.

the only reason i gave the album 4 stars instead of 5 is because the production is a little dark and muddy here and there...maybe stylish, but not what this band deserves.

i hear everything here from the Pistols to King Crimson...no joke.

To the idiot below that said that Pink Floyd suck hard enough. You are by far the most ignorant moron when Pink Floyd are by far 1 of the most unique bands out there which no real band can rip off. Heaps of unique bands can be duplicated but Pink Floyd you can't.

Anyways, this album is their most developed album in years and is better than their last album. I liked Roll On and the Self Titled (not as much anymore) but I gotta say this new album has many variations and its not just the same old rockabilly with punk. It has many styles which is what makes this album interesting and diverse.

A good album but there were some weak songs which is why the album only got a 4 rating. I believe this album should break them worldwide and help reach a wider audience without selling out like some bands who I won't bother to mention

The Living End's last release, "Modern Artillery" didn't do much for the trip which was a good thing, because the album was more of a blatant pop punk sellout album than anything else. So now the band is back doing what they do best; rockabilly influenced political ska punk. This is their fourth full-length album and a good follow-up to their second release. The album features song that incorporate the bands unique sound. Give "Wake Up" and What's On Your Radio" a listen and you'll see what I'm talking about.

There isn't anything as catchy out there as "Prisoner of Society" or "Roll On" from their first two albums, but this is their most matured album to date. Hopefully they will continue to write punkabilly rock tunes I the future, it's what they do best.

I don't have this CD and some administrator can delete this if they want, but can someone answer me this: Why is this CD $30+ dollars in the U.S. right now? Are the Living End import only now or what?

By the way, the REASON I don't have this CD is that ridiculous price. I love the Living End but can't pay that much for any CD!

AS a follower of this band from the beginning, all I can say is that Chris and company have hit another home run with this cd. It has all the raw 80's era punk sting to it, with simply some of the best hooks out there. Try it, you won't be disappointed!