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Taken by Force
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Taken by Force
Current price: $13.99
Barnes and Noble
Taken by Force
Current price: $13.99
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Size: CD
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If you're from Australia and you want to play tough, straightforward punk-leaning rock with a lot of energy, you have your choice of some pretty impressive role models, such as
the Celibate Rifles
,
the Saints
, and especially
Radio Birdman
, arguably the Antipodes greatest contribution to punk.
Civic
are a fierce rock & roll band from Melbourne who clearly aspire to this great tradition, and for their second album, 2023's
Taken by Force
, they've gone straight to the source in pursuit of a mentor: in this case,
vocalist
Rob Younger
, who produced the LP. While
Younger
's presence doubtless helped bring out the
Birdman
-isms in this music,
clearly couldn't pull this off if they didn't have the goods, and the good news is they've done their homework and kick out the jams with admirable strength. As songwriters,
lack something in the way of original vision, and anyone who owns a copy of
Do the Pop!
will recognize the melodic frameworks of most of these tracks (though on "Born in the Heat" they seem to be borrowing from
the Clash
, which makes for some variety). That said, if you want to hear a band that knows how to crank out some high-energy, no-frills rock,
is for you.
Jim McCullough
has a vocal sneer worthy of
Mark Arm
(if not
Iggy Pop
), guitarists
Lewis Hodgson
and
Jackson Harry
tear into the songs with just the right degree of finesse (and can pull off solid solos when called upon), and bassist
Roland Hlavka
and drummer
Matt Blach
know how to push this monster into fifth gear. This music breaks no new ground, but in both concept and execution,
Taken By Force
does right by its inspirations and is a welcome reminder of just how good some down and dirty old-school proto-punk can feel. Sure, you've heard this sort of thing before, but when it's served up with this kind of quality and commitment, there's lots to be said for giving it another spin. ~ Mark Deming
the Celibate Rifles
,
the Saints
, and especially
Radio Birdman
, arguably the Antipodes greatest contribution to punk.
Civic
are a fierce rock & roll band from Melbourne who clearly aspire to this great tradition, and for their second album, 2023's
Taken by Force
, they've gone straight to the source in pursuit of a mentor: in this case,
vocalist
Rob Younger
, who produced the LP. While
Younger
's presence doubtless helped bring out the
Birdman
-isms in this music,
clearly couldn't pull this off if they didn't have the goods, and the good news is they've done their homework and kick out the jams with admirable strength. As songwriters,
lack something in the way of original vision, and anyone who owns a copy of
Do the Pop!
will recognize the melodic frameworks of most of these tracks (though on "Born in the Heat" they seem to be borrowing from
the Clash
, which makes for some variety). That said, if you want to hear a band that knows how to crank out some high-energy, no-frills rock,
is for you.
Jim McCullough
has a vocal sneer worthy of
Mark Arm
(if not
Iggy Pop
), guitarists
Lewis Hodgson
and
Jackson Harry
tear into the songs with just the right degree of finesse (and can pull off solid solos when called upon), and bassist
Roland Hlavka
and drummer
Matt Blach
know how to push this monster into fifth gear. This music breaks no new ground, but in both concept and execution,
Taken By Force
does right by its inspirations and is a welcome reminder of just how good some down and dirty old-school proto-punk can feel. Sure, you've heard this sort of thing before, but when it's served up with this kind of quality and commitment, there's lots to be said for giving it another spin. ~ Mark Deming