There Is A World

Superfluous Noise (2005)

Jordan Rogowski

Somewhere in suburban New York in 1981, a teenager was putting Black Flag's Damaged on the family record player for the first time, and the venom-spitting vocals of Henry Rollins were making that teenager's parents hairs stand on end. Almost twenty-five years later, those 15 shots of raw power and fury are influencing yet another generation. There Is A World are an obvious product of this influence, and their self-released album Superfluous Noise hearkens back to the release of that album, and other similar albums, where raw, gritty guitar playing set the pace, and a new screaming/shouting vocal approach defined a type of music.

No, There Is A World will never be the band that Black Flag was, that the Circle Jerks were, but their raw, energetic sound will surely be a welcome sound to many. Singer Matt Priebe's aggressive, raging vocals set the energy level for a short but impressive EP. Guitarist Ian Rittersdorf and bassist Patrick Mangan do contribute some solid background vocals, most noticeably on "Small Town Shit Revival," but their respective roles in the band stand as being far more important than some gang singalongs every once in a while. Their crunchy, dissonant riffing never strays from simplicity, but they give exactly what's needed for this type of recording. "Wesley Willis Is New And Innovative," gimmicky song title aside, is quite a rocking tune, and Priebe's vocals give the song that extra edge as the guitars are crunching and symbols crashing in the background.

One of the EP's main strength lies in its lyrical content. Music like this often has a strong social conscience, but isn't often noted for it's lyrical prowess; Superfluous Noise defies that convention. The lyrics are strongly written, and doesn't repeat themes as many like albums have a tendency to do. "The Enlightened Despots" allows the songwriting to shine the brightest;

I know enlightened despots never change / Perhaps a paradox but surely strange / Look back 200 years, a few freed serfs and a million new fears / Please take away your patrician hand / I know the philosophes will pay me heed / A jackass posing as our steed / One way out and they're the only ones in / Only catching flack from Voltaire and Zinn / Sorry, do you know what I mean? / We'll try to curb our false sense of elation / This ain't some kingly act of proclamation,/ So they won't swallow us whole.

The rest of this EP shows bits and pieces of very promising songwriting, but it's never pulled together as well as with "Despots." Those lyrics coupled with Priebe's vocal command make for a pretty formidable combination. Simplicity works here in spades, as the lack of technicality is made up for in raw energy and conviction. A little bit lower of a score, only due to the short 15-minute duration, but a very promising effort.