New Hampshire State Motto

Turn Up the Suck (2005)

Jordan Rogowski

I don't know a whole lot about the fine state of New Hampshire, but I'd wager to guess that their state motto is not in fact "turn up the suck." An odd choice for an album titled from New Hampshire State Motto, because this album does anything but.

Rip roaring through nine songs in 18 minutes, these guys have a firm handle on playing some great melodic punk rock. Melodic, yes, but there's quite a decent amount of bite to be felt in these songs, and it's heavy without ever being overpowering.

Starting it up with some speedy drum fills, "G8" launches right into some tight riffing and politically minded lyrics. This is not a band who's afraid to speak their mind, and each and every song makes it just that much more evident. The band's vocalist sounds not unlike Tony Sly of No Use for a Name fame, with his melodic rallying cries and strong, clear voice. The melody does not come at cost of any of the real grit on the record, and "Tearin' Up the Charts" makes it more than clear. A harsh critique of the music industry and its practices, the song carries a bit harder of an edge than many others on the record. The vocalist sounds positively pissed off, giving his words a bit of gravity they may not otherwise have held.

Making a third terrific song in a row, "Campout in DC" opens with some shredding clean guitar, before bringing on the distortion and pummeling drum fills to really attack the senses. The melodic undercurrents don't compromise the integrity of the hard edge the band is going for, instead only solidifying the album with an important bit of diversity. "Money Doesn't By Everything" and "Ron Eats Breakfast with the Hell of All Nations" further puts the political stamp on the record, in keeping with their harsh punk attack.

Essentially No Use for a Name with a political message, New Hampshire State Motto have drafted a hard hitting and informed, albeit somewhat forgettable record with Turn Up the Suck.