Ever heard a song and known on the first play that it was going to mean something, be important and/or be the one that people point to and talk about years later? Records like that do exist and, at least occasionally, it is possible to know them when they arrive – that's why those with a clue are already singing the praises of On The Impossible Past by The Menzingers.
Listeners will know they're hearing something which may change their lives from the moment they experience the sensation of singer Greg Barnett opening up his mouth and unloading the words “I've been having a horrible time pulling myself together.” In that moment, The Menzingers nail all of the necessities for another punk rock revolution: sarcasm, teen angst, comic understatement and a piss-poor attitude, and they chase it with a concussive, huge guitar line to finish, In this case, as the song's title suggests, all of those are “Good Things,” but even better is the fact that there's nothing even a little like it in pop or punk rock at the moment. When listeners realize that, they'll get excited because they'll realize how much they missed it.
For thirteen tracks on On The Impossible Past, The Menzingers drop bomb after bomb, the likes of which the likes of which the band never really seemed capable of before, but they inspire epiphanies in listeners unaccustomed to getting hit with raw and unironically driven punk rock. In songs like “The Obituaries,” “Ava House,” “Mexican Guitars,” “Casey,” “I Can't Seem To Tell” and “Freedom Bridge,” the band poses an emo demeanor against rockin' punk rock sonics as Barnett belts and blubbers anthemic tales of teenage disgust unlike anything else being presented this generation while the band seems to just go out of its way to ensure that, no matter what he says, it'll seem divine and urgent backed by a solid and dense wall of sound. The results are, very simply, the sorts of sparks which have been known to start bonfires before – and the colors being thrown off this time are vibrant and beautiful. With any luck, this album and this band will be ground zero for the next wave of new punk bands which take over the mainstream.
Artist:
www.myspace.com/themenzingers
www.facebook.com/themenzingers
www.twitter.com/#!/themenzingers
Album:
On The Impossible Past is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
