The Suicide Machines

Steal This Record (2001)

NotQuiteAsPunkAsYou

Are they back? They didn't do a remake of their last disaster did they?

Well, The Suicide Machines were never gone. To undertand The Suicide Machines, one can't possibly base their entire sound on one record. Pretty much everyone own's their debut ska/punk treasure "Destruction by Defintion." Then comes the mediocre brutally hardcore "Battle Hymns." Follwing this, the critically labeled flop "s/t." Well, I just have to say this right now before I go on, you know those critics that try to sound all hard and purely punk went home every day after that record came out and played the hell out of that record. It was faster Weezer; that is ALL and it was GREAT for what it was- an experimental pop record.

Now here it comes, "Steal This Record." Perhaps just glancing at the ironic cover may foreshadow what this album sounds like comparing their last two efforts. We have the happy, colorful, gleeful rabbits in a blissful scene ("s/t"), the devilish, horned rabbits in a hellish background ("Battly Hymns"), and then…the girl standing directly in the middle sepprating the two genres while hiding what may become a punk rock gem.

Going over through every song would be useless. If you bought any of their prior records, songs like it and better are on here. Ensembles ranging from pop numbers, to devouring hardcore, to dazzling ska, to pure punk rock prove The Machines just wanted to go with whatever came out this time. And it works. Oh does it work.

Pefect vocals, ornate harmonies, addicting guitar and choruses enlighten the listener. Not to mention, there's a cover of It's the End of the World As We Know it by REM and some extra CD ROM stuff. So there ya go. No doubt a geat record; one of the best of the year.

Is it better than Destruction by Definition… it might damn well be.