The Last
Danger
??1/2
Punk
Danger, the first album The Last has produced in 17 years, blends styles of punk rock from the past four decades into a record that is easy on the ears for anyone who has the slightest taste for the genre.
The Last, a band that has influenced punk artists for almost 40 years, is not as hardcore as its rougher counterparts like Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys.
However, it does have more of a punk spirit than bands like Green Day that incorporate more influence from popular songs into their music. The Last falls in the middle of the two extremes.
In its zeal to please people with many musical tastes, The Last may have lost some of the more interesting aspects of punk music, namely the air of nonconformity that tends to be associated with the genre. Many of the songs on the album lose their punk sound entirely, giving way to a more generic rock sound.
That said, the album has something for everyone.
It begins with “I Know,” which displays a lot of raw intensity through the emphasis on sound and emotion rather than pitch and tone quality. It does this through fast guitar solos and loud, unrefined vocals.
Some songs on the album, such as “I Don’t Know What To Say,” forego almost every element of punk in exchange for a mellow rock sound.
The album is enjoyable overall, but the band should decide on a style and stick with it. The mix of the rawness of punk with calm, lyrical rock songs is unsettling.
— Stephanie Zimmerman
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