Catch 22 - Permanent Revolution Review
by Gary Schwind
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One thing I can say for sure about Catch 22 is that they aren't lacking a certain amount of chutzpah releasing this album for two reasons. First, this is a concept album and to be sure concept albums aren't as common as they used to be. Secondly, the concept of this album is, are you ready for this, Leon Trotsky. That's right. Catch 22 made an album about Russian revolutionary and traditional Marxist Leon Trotsky.Another thing I can say with certainty is that history hasn't sounded this catchy since Schoolhouse Rock. This album is filled with fat guitar riffs, excellent rapid-fire drumming, big horns and vocals reminiscent of Elvis Costello. You'll want to get up and move around (or pogo) when you listen to this. And you won't even notice that you're getting a healthy dose of history. Wouldn't your high school teacher be so proud of you for taking such an active interest in socio-political theories? This album may be about a man who was around long before me, but it could just as easily be about the US situation in Iraq. (I tried to make it through this review without mentioning it. I just couldn't.) Get a load of these lyrics. In "On the Black Sea," the singer claims "We're on this train to nowhere and I don't know if we'll make it back again." And in "The Purge," he sings "You're fighting a war now. A war for nothing. And you know it's a war that you can't win." Indeed. This is a very good idea and a very good album from the ska-punk veterans celebrating their tenth year. If you like punk-ska and/or political music, this one's for you.
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Catch 22 - Permanent Revolution Label:Victory
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