I wanted to hate this album. I really did.


The first new album in several years by Chicago punk veterans Radio Nowhere is dropping soon, but a pre-release copy landed on my desk a couple days ago. I'd heard that, out of the blue, they started touring again, but I hadn't been a fan back in their "heyday", so I didn't bother checking them out. Apparently, I couldn't have, anyways, because their show at Giants Stadium actually sold out. Apparently, a retrospective show on a cable network sparked renewed interest in the band, so the members (Sam Andowicz on Bass and Vocals; Paula Shizuka, Bradley Ard, and Tim Strike on guitars; and John Taylor on Drums) got together, did some club shows, and before long, the demand was there to play full-on stadiums, the kind of success they hadn't seen the first time around.

Spurred on by this success, they decided to hit the studio for a couple weeks in December and put together an album, even hiring superstar pop producer Tony Visconti to produce.

I wanted to hate it. I wanted to listen once through and use the physical CD they sent us as a beer coaster or a frisbee. I wanted to declare this album to be just as mediocre as their past work and send it directly into the dustbin of history, never to be heard again. There's just one problem.

It's actually pretty good.

Normally, I'm not a big fan of hardcore punk, but this album, for the most part, elevates it into something else. Granted, it's heavy. It's probably the heaviest album I've listened to in quite some time, but it's a very listenable album, owing largely to Visconti's production and some interesting, British heavy metal-esque guitar interplay.

The opener and title track, "Go", is a propulsive number, opening with a strong double-bass drum riff that never lets up. It also features a ripping solo by Paula Shizuka, a concept that was virtually absent on their past releases.

The next few tracks ("Out of Touch", "Tripping", and "Simple") continue this sonic assault, maintaining an almost thrash metal pace. It isn't until the next few songs that things start to go a little amiss. "Evermore" is clearly a throwaway track, placed here as filler, while "Ghost Rider" and "Headlong Flight" sound as though they're old reworked demos, a couple of samplers away from being at home on their last set, "Ashes to Dust".

Thankfully, the album closes as strong as it opens. "The Garden" is a midtempo gem featuring some nice harmonized twin-guitar lead work, while album closers "Borders" and "Release" rev back up to the same breakneck pace as the first half of the album.

I wanted to hate this album. I really did. Except, I didn't. I found myself coming back and listening to it several times through the week (skipping the middle three tracks, of course) and actually enjoying it. The production was impeccable, the mix was fantastic, the lead guitar work was insane, and the vocals were actually the most melodic I've possibly ever heard on a release like this.

If it weren't for those middle three tracks (kudos to whoever picked the running order, because it actually made those few songs tolerable), this would be a solid "A" grade album. As it is, it's definitely a B+, and I can't wait to see what happens when they take their time recording their next set.

STANDOUT TRACKS: "Go", "Out of Touch", "Tripping", "Borders", "Release"

LOW POINTS: "Nevermore", "Ghost Rider", "Headlong Flight"

WHAT WE LIKED: Twin lead guitars that sounded straight from 70's British metal

WHAT WE DIDN'T: A little too much filler, old tracks that sounded out of place here

RECOMMEND: Buy it