Some people today would say that punk is dead. Punk isn’t dead, it’s just gone back underground where its fans want it to be. That notion can be proven true with the newest greatest hits album by “The US Presidents†featuring vocals by Jeff Weiss, guitarist Roy Abraham, bassist Daniel Deychakiwsky and drummer Emerson Williams.
As with many punk bands, “The US Americans†have a ton of political songs a la “Bad Religion,†“NOFX†and “Sex Pistols†with a hint of “Rage Against the Machine.†One of the obvious ones is “Money in America†where Weiss says stuff like “why is it always money in America/there’s no more money in America.†While lyrically it sounds like any other song about American capitalism, it is catchy as all hell.
Continuing with the political trend is “FCK THE KGB.†It’s exactly as it sounds. It gets its political point across in typical punk fashion and, yes, it does sound like it will be used in some anti-Russia rally one of these days.
They do have other songs that are catchy, most notably “Innocent Fools.†It showcases that punk can have a funky sound to it, and this will make you want to get up and dance. Probably the best song on the album. Another funky song is “Lazy Suzy.†While not as catchy as the previous songs, it’s still worth a listen, especially to hear the excellent guitar riff.
But what would a punk band be without a song that’s forty seconds long? That song here is “Storytime†and it’s an introduction to the story of Lewis and Clark. That’s pretty much the entire song. It’s random and in an odd way it still fits in with the entire punk theme.
“The US Presidents” greatest hits album has some stand out songs that definitely make it worth checking out.
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