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Southern California band has anger,
but its music lacks direction, focus
ny nryan Feterson
Staff Reporter
Southern California is churning
out more and more “positive”
hardcore bands every month. For
the most part, they look and sound
the same: four or five sweaty guys
with almost no hair singing about
unity and other positive stuff.
Social Justice is a SoCal band
that does not completely break out
of the mold but which is more
interesting than most similar
bands.
These guys are angry and have
plenty to Be angry about. They are
part of a punk scene which is
tearing itself apart with punk-skin
friction and endless suodivisions
within the punk subculture itself.
The problem with Social Justice
is that its anger lacks direction or
focus. At the same time, the music
has more power than that of most
“positive” hardcore bands.
The “Unity is Strength” album
(Safeside Records) is a crisp, clean
recording compared to most
hardcore releases. The vocals in
particular stand out, and good use
is made of backing vocals.
But for an album it is woefully
short, being barely twenty minutes
in length. Ten songs on an album is
standard in the music world, but
these are ten short and fast thrash
ers.
This is pure SoCal hardcore --
two guitars, chanting choruses,
and stop-n-start song structures in
the tradition of Youth of Today,
Insted and Uniform Choice.
These sounds have been made
by countless other hardcore bands
but here are played with enough
energy and drive to interest the
listener.
The album’s title hints at the cli
cheed, bold-faced slogans these
bands love so: UNITY IS
—. ■ ...
STRENGTH, UNITED PRIDE,
POSITIVE YOUTH and so on.
All too often, the songs are just
as vague as these phrases. Sample
the following from “Youth Unite”:
“Black, White, it’s time to unite/ It
makes no sense when we start to
fight/ The cycle of hatred must
end” or “Rich or poor or color of
skin/ What really matters is what is
within.”
Sure these are noble sentiments,
but their expression is hindered by
their banality. To really reach
people or to change opinions and
gain some unity, the members of
Social Justice must present a more
compelling message.
The band needs more songs like
“Left Behind,” a more touching call
for concern. It reads, in part, “That
night you said you loved her/ That
night you said you cared/ When
you found out she was pregnant/
You were never there/ The child
that is born will be left behind.”
This is in contrast to the ambigu
ity which plagues Social Justice on
too many songs. For example, the
songs “Unity is Strength” and
“Walk Alone” are back to back on
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