Review → Propagandhi – Potemkin City Limits (2005)
Propagandhi - Potemkin City Limits
Well, considering that today is Election Day in the U.S.A., and since I mentioned the band yesterday in the Rise Against review, I suppose it would be only fair to talk about the band.
Propagandhi formed in 1986, in Canada. Originally, according to legend, they were going to be a “progressive thrash band,” or so says the ad they placed for a bassist in a local record store. From the get-go, these guys were pretty political; the label they run is called G7 Welcoming Committee, after all, and their albums contain song titles like “With Friends Like These, Who the Fuck Needs COINTELPRO?” (Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes) and “Apparently, I’m a ‘P.C. Fascist’ (Because I Care About Both Human and Non-Human Animals)” (Less Talk, More Rock).
Four years after their 2001 release, Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes, the band returns with Potemkin City Limits. And, no two ways about it, this album rips. In the years since their first record, the band has adopted a stronger metal leaning, with more breakdowns and solos present than many of their straight-up punk contemporaries. It’s hard to listen to tracks like the killer opener “A Speculative Fiction” or “Rock for Sustainable Capitalism” and not want to air guitar in your room (or maybe that’s just me). At any rate, the music contained on this album is fast and brutal.
As for the lyrics, they’re typical latter-day Propagandhi; songs sung by one of two vocalists, typically not mixing, and lyrics that are rants against whatever topic the band is concerned about for that 3-5 minute burst of focused aggression. While the band takes its political beliefs seriously, there’s some humor in the lyrics (and anyone who’s followed the band is aware of their sense of humor); on “Rock for Sustainable Capitalism” there’s a jab at NOFX’s lament “How did punk rock become so safe?” from their song “Separation of Church and Skate.” NOFX later referred to Propagandhi on their song “The Marxist Bros.” (note: all of Propagandhi’s albums have been released via Fat Mike’s Fat Wreck Chords).
This is a really great album, and should be owned by anyone who enjoys political punk. It picks up right where Today’s Empires… left off, and carries the Prop torch well. Now, it’s been about 4 years, hopefully we’ll see a new album soon.
Rating: 4 stars
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