This issue finds me with two sophomore records from side or new projects from singers of well-known punk bands. The more canonical of these, Roger Miret of seminal New York hardcore band Agnostic Front, arrives with a beer-and-brotherhood-soaked barroom brawl of an album straight from the streets of the Lower East Side.
The Disasters are a side project for Miret, but the album doesn’t feel like it—instead it feels deliberate, thought-out, and from the heart. Slower and more melodic than AF but still packing a punch, 1984 is a worthy follow-up to their 2003 debut, and delivers street rock ’n roll to chant along to. Like any street punk band worth their salt, the Disasters combine unflinching lyrics from the city with traditional rock ’n roll hooks and licks. Nowhere is this more evident than on tracks like “The Boys,” where the band demands, “Tell us the truth,” and it resonates that much more because they always have.
1984 is not so much an Orwellian reference as it is a bit of nostalgia from a guy who’s been there. The album features the most gleeful shout of “Fuck you, I hate you, fuck you,” that I’ve ever heard, as well as the raw and angry shouts, “Kill For Cash” and “Shot Stabbed and Fooled.” And as always, the album closes with a love song to their hometown, “New York City,” an arms-around-the-shoulders drinking tune. Keep your ears peeled for references to David Bowie and Nancy Sinatra, among others.
Roger Miret’s been in the business for over 20 years, and shows no signs of giving up. It’s nice to hear this quintessential voice of New York in whatever style he chooses to sing and with whichever band he chooses to play.
Hellcat Records
