As I’ve said before, the Swingin’ Utters are one of those bands that changed the game for me. I’m speaking of course of their self-titled album, which is not only their most ambitious work to date, but quite possibly started the cow-punk genre. Strangely, the band’s output has been minimal since the release of that debut but now, after eight years, we finally get a new Swingin’ Utters album. To say I’m an Utters fan understates things, so it’s almost unfair to have someone like me reviewing this album. However, who’s more fit to bring you the good word? As I refuse to review albums that I haven’t given a chance to be absorbed, this review comes a bit late, but with good news.
The key to enjoying the Swingin Utters these days for me is to lower my expectations a bit. I know that sounds like a shitty thing to do but, after their self-titled masterpiece, everything else pales in comparison. So, what is contained within the wax grooves of Here, Under Protest? Basically, a perfect representation of the band’s catalog and a few surprises. The fact is, with these guys you get songwriting at a deeper level than you would with any self-described street punk nowadays, and it's still evident on Here, Under Protest. Sonically, it places around the Five Lessons Learned album, but it’s all over the place content-wise. The ballad-type punk songs are here (like "Long Way Home"), as are the street punk ones ("Brand New Lungs"), the folk-inspired stuff ("Bent Collector of 1000 Limbs," "Scary Brittle Frame"), the speedy pit stuff ("Give it all to the Man"), and the material that broadens the Utters’ horizons ("Effortless Amnesiac"). What makes the Utters stand out is not just that they can write every kind of song out there, but that they can do it so well. The album starts out with "Brand New Lungs" and it’s like watching the dogs at the races with well-crafted songs almost all the way up to "Effortless Amnesiac": a haunting finisher and easily one of the best Swingin’ Utters songs recorded so far (partly due to the fact that it has Jack Dalrymple on vocals). With each listen, the intricacies in the songs become more evident and the album becomes more enjoyable. Easily in this year’s top ten, if not top five. Pick it up if you know what’s good for you.
Artist:
www.swinginutters.com/
www.myspace.com/swinginutters
www.facebook.com/pages/Swingin-Utters/
www.twitter.com/swingin_utters
Download:
Swingin' Utters – "Kick It Over" – Here, Under Protest
Album:
Here, Under Protest is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
