Armalite - 'Armalite'

NOTE: I don't know why I compared Armalite so much to H2O at the time.

Every so often a “supergroup,” a team of talented and established musicians, crops up to rock the world with its collective genius. There’s been Cream, Temple of the Dog, Audioslave… well, Ok, maybe not Audioslave. But punk rock fans can count of one new supergroup that won’t disappoint: Armalite.

The band members’ collective history is a thick and juicy one. There’s Atom Goren, of Atom and His Package; Mike McKee, of Kill the Man Who Questions; Jeff Ziga, of Affirmative Action Jackson; and ’90s hardcore demigod Dr. Dan Yemin, of Lifetime, Kid Dynamite and Paint It Black (good God, so much rock).

With so much talent going into so carefree of a record, Armalite’s self-titled debut is perfect for punk and hardcore kids looking for something that’s totally political while still being ridiculously fun.

Armalite begins with the McKee-penned “Entitled,” which rocks like old school H2O. McKee’s gruff delivery definitely recalls Toby Morse’s vocals while his guitar gallops along in hot pursuit. This track, along with its follow-up, “Grace (Or the Importance of Being Impermanent)” rocks along a path that’s easy and entertaining to follow.

Goren takes over on lead vocals for “Unfinished Business.” His voice gives the song more of a Descendents feel. It’s a bit higher, and the guitar chords follow accordingly, giving the tune more of a sloppy pop-punk feel.

Written by Yemin and Goren, “Unfinished Business” is breathlessly catchy, with the closing lines, “And if it’s part of the ebb and flow, and I’m trying to believe it ’cause you just said so,” sounding absolutely brilliant despite not entirely making sense (or being grammatically correct). But Goren knows how to take a line and make it sound anthemic, as he proves over and over on this record, despite lacking the capacity for always hitting proper notes.

Another good Goren-led track is “When Nice People Think Dumb Things, Attack, and Vote.” The song both assaults and absolves those who were misled into keeping the Bush Administration in office. It follows the same formula used throughout this album (That formula of course being combining awesomeness with killer hooks, like when Goren sings, “Always will the homophobics dance to the YMCA? Or at some weird point does irony kick you in the ass and you think yeah, OK?”).

In the liner notes, Goren writes, “I do not think that a lot of the people who voted… are as mean spirited and evil as the administration that they elected and continue to support. I do, however, think that a lot of those people are not very good critical thinkers, and tend to swallow sound bites, tag lines and meaningless catch phrases without considering actual behavior and policies.”

He then sarcastically adds, “Professor Figgy Newton’s studies at the University have found that undoubtedly, writing punk rock songs and liner notes are the most productive approach to combating this problem.”

The catchiest track of the album is easily “Dan’s Hands Melt.” Its infectious pop-punk is so basic, it’s almost mind-boggling. With a peppy guitar lead and the simple chorus of “Are you in? I’m in! Okay, let’s go,” repeated four times each, “Dan’s Hands Melt,” quite frankly, rules. It also follows the Kid Dynamite rule of utilizing bass solos to break up the parts of a song. It then perfectly segues into the grand finale, “New Wave.”

McKee reclaims the lead vocal position for the last song, which in a way brings the album full circle. DC ’80s hardcore has always been known for keeping it simple and loud, and McKee echoes this style while shouting “Everyone has their reasons” over and over.

Armalite is ideal for anyone who even remotely enjoys Minor Threat, Lifetime or H2O. This album is punk/hardcore done right. It provides an elementary education on how to write a proper old-feeling punk song, and the fact that the members of Armalite sound like they could care less about what they’re doing makes the whole thing even more enjoyable. Some of the songs still deal with serious topics, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with them.