TSOL (True Sounds of Liberty) were among the princes of punk in the fabled 80s. They quickly established a proud tradition of inciting riots wherever they played. Mother was scared of TSOL. Now, two decades later, she probably still would be. The original band is intact (minus original drummer Todd Barnes, R.I.P.). Their triumphant return, Disappear, is an album that hints that they may have used their extended hiatus to hunt down the fountain of youth.
Reference the first three songs: “Sodomy”, “Crybaby” and “Anticop.” These are punk rock song titles. Instead of trying to out-cute Blink 182 or out-ballad Green Day, TSOL sticks to what they know best: fast punk songs rallying against pretty much everyone. Favorite targets include, naturally, the government, the police, and the socialites.
Jack Grisham is (still) the right man for the job. As frontman, he tears and leers through the album’s 13 tracks. “Sodomy” is chaotic, apocalyptic...and and a pretty damned good time. The “us versus them” mentality of the music isn’t a new concept by any means, but it’s refreshing in the light of the “me versus the world” and, worse, the “me versus me” angst of bands like Staind.
While Grisham makes a tempting focal point, the album succeeds in large part because the band sounds like a band and not a vehicle. Renowned guitarist Ron Emory shows his chops haven’t gone rusty. And he hasn’t lost his penchant for speed, though he also isn’t afraid to experiment. “Renounce” starts with a riff that sounds like Emory is playing a sitar, then quickly (and gloriously) digresses to head-pounding electrics. Emory even takes a turn on vocals on the power drive “In My Head.”
Bassist Mike Roche and drummer Jay O’Brien are perhaps less visible, but no less valuable. Roche comes up especially big on the anthemic “Anticop” and the rousing relationship-gone-wrong closer, “Disappear.”
In a genre where shock value has all but been played out, TSOL reiterate that old-fashioned rebellion and nose-thumbing will never grow old or irrelevant. If you someone says “punk” and you think “Blink 182,” this album...well, there are a lot of albums you should find. Something from the TSOL catalog would be recommended listening in that curriculum. Luckily, Disappear is just as good a choice as any.
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