True Sounds of Liberty (TSOL)

I had been hearing great things about their new release (after many years away from the biz). After the Black Flag reunion fiasco—I didn't expect much. But, review after review suggested that TSOL, (with the original lineup) had put out a great "punk" album. I bought it because their bass player--Mike Roche, was one of my favorite people in the 80's. He kept trying to get me to trade him my belt for anything in his shop (clothing store in Huntington Beach). I refused and still have the belt. But, that became the basis of a friendship--when he was in town. More often than not, he was very strung out and that is, perhaps, one reason the band never secured the respect they deserved. They were junkies who seemed to love the junk just a bit more than the music. I picked up the new release--"Divided We Stand" and it is every bit as good as what I have been reading about it. They were a touch more sophisticated than their Huntington Beach brethern--and this release showcases them as if they hadn't been MIA for 15 years. They were always a band where reading their lyrics never did them justice. It was all in the music and delivery. If you are in the mood for some really great punk--this is probably the sleeper of 2003, and likely to gain more attention in the next few months. The song "Sex Not Violence" with the lyrics "sex sex sex, fuck the violence--fuck the violence again" is so early TSOL--but works so well now. The Huntington Beach scene was the foundation of hardcore (U.S.) around 1980--this is an inspired, jaw-droppingly intense, reminder of how good it was.
--Dem