Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Tax Slave - Bohemian Grove/Religion

Before I get to the review proper, I've got an interesting little story to tell. When I first popped this into my computer, the player grabbed a CDDB entry that showed the disc as "Een Dak Boven Mijn Hoofd" by a band called Nubia. I was well aware that this was not, in fact, what I had just put in the disc tray, but now I was curious. A little searching turned up this link. Go ahead, click on it, I'll wait. Back? Yeah, it's fucking weird.



According to the band's myspace (cringe) page, Tax Slave is made up of three members, but I'm fairly certain that this record was made when Tax Slave was only a one man operation. That's something you don't really see much nowadays, especially in punk rock, but here not only does it not detract from the songs, it's surprisingly effective at providing a sense of intimacy between the songwriter and the subject matter.

Looking at a few other reviews, I see Ryan Sullivan's voice compared to Jello Biafra, which makes about as much sense as comparing Biafra to Ronnie James Dio. They sound nothing alike. Similar politics? Possibly, but Sullivan's deep, almost spoken vocals fit much better with the eerie, sinister feel of the music than something in a higher register could.

As the title suggests, there are only two songs on the record. When the first song - Bohemian Grove - starts off, you may get a vaguely industrial kind of vibe, but don't let the drum machine fool you. There's nothing cold or sterile about either of these songs. There's a good degree of humor in the songs, something I always appreciate in political punk rock. Even if I agree with you, beating me over the head with your ideas is the fastest way to get me to stop listening to you. Luckily, you'll find none of that here.

All in all, this is a good disc, and one I'd recommend to any punk rock fan with half a brain. "Destroy everything for no reason" street punk fans need not apply.