Oi! One of the punk statements that have always represented music for the working class played with speed, heart, and a drunken fuck you attitude. I have always been an Oi fan, whether its sitting around singing drinking songs, and chanting along in the pit with a bunch of punks and skins, there is always that feel of unity and fun that I get when listening to some good Oi. No whiny songs about girlfriends or high school. Not here just fast, energetic tunes with tales from the working class. That's why I was excited when I saw U.S. Of Oi! Volume 2 in my pile of cds to review. This classic compilation helped launch the second wave of American Oi! By bringing together some of the biggest names in the scene with the new upstarts this comp once again are giving Punk the much needed kick in the ass.
Some of the best songs on this comp included Pist and Broke's laid back acoustic tune Ireland, which is the singer sings the praises of his mother country and how much he misses being there. The Anti-Heroes, easily one of my favorite Oi bands, serve up the aptly named track Oi!, which is classic Anti-Heroes. Other good songs on here include Pist and Broke Dormunder Union Boys, The lo-fi Oi of The Templars Running Out of Time, Niblick Henbane America, and Those Unknown No Rhyme No Reason. The second to last track on this comp is a rap Can You Dig It by D-Caf and the Ft. Knox Crew, which was about a 180 spin from everything else on here. At first I thought it was a joke, but after I listened to it, I realized that these guys were serious. I don't really like rap so I usually skipped over this one, but if you like early 90's gangsta rap then you might like.
Another pause from the mostly uniform sound to this album comes from Oi! the Anonymous doing a spoken word of the Anti-Hereos Heroes and Zeroes, which is a profound statement about the decline in working America with all the factories closing and moving across the boraders. I liked the original song, but I think hearing it spoken makes it resonate much deeper.
If you're looking to get into Oi! this is a good place to start, you get a sampling from some of the best in genre. Turn this one up loud, grab some friends, some booze, and enjoy.