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7 Seconds aren't afraid to admit
that they've been around for a while. Since the
band itself is older than I am, having formed in
1979, they’ve steadily released albums since
then--unlike some bands cropping up for reunion
tours. One of the first bands to claim the title
"hardcore," and sometimes referred to
as the “West Coast Minor Threat,” Kevin
Seconds, Steve Youth,
Troy Mowat and Bobby Adams
have a thing or two to teach the new generation.
With their new album Take It Back,
Take It On, Take It Over, on SideOneDummy,
they give it a shot.
They've mellowed little over the past 25 years,
still playing songs about unity, society and personal
relationships with blistering speed, not as poppy
as they have been, but not quite as much a full-on
blitzkrieg as they started out with either. The
17 tracks on this record last a gut-punching 28:22,
with the longest song clocking in at 2:48 (and
on that one, the lyrics joke "this song goes
on and on") and some at less than a minute,
so 7 Seconds is a fairly accurate name. They certainly
don't sound their age, either. Kevin's voice is
still fairly high as hardcore singers go, and
sounds young, and the drums are just as pounding,
the bass just as throbbing, and the guitar more
scalding than bands literally half their age.
Their tone on this album seems nostalgic--songs
like the comparatively slow and melodic "y.p.h."
and the Social Distortion-flavored "Big Hardcore
Mystery" make reference to their age and
ask, "Why don't we let the kids give it a
try?" "Where is the Danger" chants
along with its fist-in-the-air chorus and points
the finger at the mall-punk generation, asking,
"Where's the danger in hot topic city?"
At the same time though, Kev Seconds and crew
aren't afraid to take on current events. "Breaking
News" is a frenetic indictment of TV media,
especially their war coverage, and "Rules
to Follow" concludes the record with a rousing
call-to-arms for this generation to bring back
punk rock the way it should be. In the end, the
catchier-than-the-common-cold "Still On It"
both defines the album and stays in your head
for days afterwards: "It may not be too thug-like/
and I may not win the fight/ but at least I'll
know I've done my best/ and what I thought was
right." They may be your parents' hardcore,
but sometimes parents still know best.
www.sideonedummy.com
-Sarah Jaffe, December 3, 2004
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