Arthritic Foot Soldiers - Trash Vegas (2009) [FLAC] {Voltage Records VCD 408}
Release Info:
RLSDATE: 2022/09/11 RTLDATE: 2010/12/10
GENRE: Punk Rock FORMAT: 294 MB
SOURCE: CD RUNTiME: 42:08
RELEASE: Voltage Records VCD 408
ORiGiN: UK MATRiX: COPRO0054 IFPI0620
with log/cue/nfo/m3u/sfv/300 dpi scans.
PunkNews (dot) org adds...
Having heard the Arthritic Foot Soldiers' single released earlier this
year, which featured two tracks from this then-forthcoming album, I was
looking forward to hearing if they had produced two gems for that red
slab of vinyl with something kept in reserve for the rest of the long-
player, or if they had peaked with nothing to keep the momentum going.
The opening track, "No Wonder" is off the single and despite the
inclusion of some ska-like guitar, it is a worthy starting point for
this album. AFS provide a sound that is drenched with the history of
Bad Religion in as much as there are bucket-loads of tunes and melodies,
with a lot of "ooh"s, "ah"s and "whoa"s for backing vocals. However,
the difference is that lead singer Munki Boi has a gruff singing voice
that means the band do not sound like one of the many BR sound-alikes
that have crawled out of the woodwork over the past 30 years.
The second track is "Lies," which was not on the single, and pleasingly
it's already better than what came before, so AFS do have more than the
single might have indicated. With "TV Minds" coming next, this provides
the highlight of that single and also of the album. This is the song
that has had me humming more than any other on the album and it's no
surprise that it was featured on the single. The message behind it is
obvious--we're in danger of becoming obsessed with television as it
fights to become the way we are all informed of what is right and/or
wrong in the world. It still amazes me how many people live their lives
through what happens on a small (well, not so small in the days of 48-
inch screens) box and are so heavily influenced by what they hear and
see. So, a hummable song and one with a message I can relate to--always
a bonus.
From here on in, the album is a tale of mid-ranged peaks, with one
particularly deep trough towards the end. None of those peaks reach the
lofty heights delivered in the opening trio of tracks, although that's
not for a lack of effort as "Protest Song" is a decent song but just
not good enough to stop me hearing "TV Minds" playing repeatedly in my
head. Similarly, "Another Whiskey," a song written about Wilf, the
singer/bassist in the Bullet Kings and sung by Carl Arnfield (the
guitar powerhouse in both AFS and the BKs), breaks the album up a bit,
offering a significantly less gruff vocal. I always liked it when Stiff
Little Fingers "allowed" Henry Cluney to sing one song on each album as
it gave them the feel that they were more than just a one-trick pony,
so hats off to AFS for doing likewise.
However, there is one occasion where the quality of song is lacking
quite a bit. The lowest point of the album is reached with "Radicals"--
I don't like this song and I think it's a case of how so many punk
bands are slowing things down with more of an acoustic approach.
Sometimes it works and other times it doesn't--this comes into the
latter category for me.
"Freedom Ain't Free" has a nice metallic guitar riff that lifts me out
of the depths plumbed by "Radicals" and despite its fairly basic
construction and approach, it works well, coming in as my fourth
favourite track on the album. Oddly, the title track is sequenced to
appear last--I'm not sure I've encountered that before--and is
obviously giving Las Vegas a hard time for luring people into handing
their money over as they gamble to improve themselves, whilst in
reality the bank never loses. Good sentiments again and not a bad
ending to the album, but it doesn't really go out with a bang.
Apparently this album was written and recorded in nine weeks. To me
that seems quite a short timespan and perhaps that has stopped the
album from being as consistent and as good as its predecessor, Immature
Nobodies. However, it would be wrong to write this off as a release to
avoid as there are a handful of really good, gritty and tuneful punk
tracks to get your ears around. This time last year I'd not heard of
AFS at all, but I've acquired a fair chunk of their output this year,
and although they might never be one of the fashionable bands with the
kids, they have a certain charm about them that will ensure I keep
looking forward to future releases.
Ripper's Notes:
Unlike "Only Beer Can Save Us Now" (the only other AFS album I own,
which sounded firmly planted in '77, this one sounds like 2010.
Doesn't make it a bad album, just, not as good of a record to me.
After re-listening to 'Beer' for the first time in years, I wondered
why I never picked up the bands other albums. After listening to
this one again, I remembered.
The sleeve has the 2009 date on it, but everything I've seen online
points to the actual release date being December 2010. I've used the
2009 release date because it's on the artwork.
And, yes, there is a hidden track on this one too. . .
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