Choke

There's A Story To This Moral (2002)

V

Choke is a blaspheming band. Their label's website describes them as 'the best punk band in Canada right now.' Well, I'll clear that one up right now - not only are Choke far from what you and I would call 'punk' candidates, but they are also not even close to being the best in -any- genre. Their music is stale, sappy, and boring - most of the songs on this album sound like they were thrown away from 1999's "Foreward," while the rest barely make a lasting impression on the listener, if anything at all other than an upchuck reflex.

These Canadian smartasses may not be new to the scene (this being their 3rd full album and 5th overall), but they sure do sound like it - their sound is immature, undeveloped, and worse off - just plain irritating. They sound more like a 4th-rate Get Up Kids than the revolutionaries they're labeled to be, but that's not even the worst part. They wear their influences like they were old Gap jeans from the Salvation Army, and they didn't even wash the mud stains their mentors left behind.

It's a good thing Choke don't have a real record deal - it'd be a huge waste of money to even promote these assholes. Keep these guys in Canada where they belong - along with Celine Dion. If you want to hear good post-hardcore or emo, this is definitely not the place to start.