Album Review: Propagandhi - Failed States

Okay, let's get the obvious thing out of the way up front: Failed States is another incredible album from one of the most continually innovative and exciting punk rock bands on the face of the planet. It's too early to tell whether this is the band's finest moment to date, but at the very least it continues the extremely purple patch that was heralded by 2001's tour de force, Today's Empires Tomorrow's Ashes. I could gush over the songwriting chops and razor-tight musicianship Propagandhi display on this, their sixth LP, but that would just confirm something you already know.

So instead, let's look at how Failed States relates to an already impressive back catalogue. First of all, the band's pop punk roots (which could still be felt on parts of 2009's Supporting Caste) have now been totally exorcised. That's not to say the punk genre doesn't rear its head – now it's more a case of channelling Black Flag than any of the Fat Wreck family. In fact “the Flag” are a good point of reference here – Failed States is rawer and darker than the band's last couple of releases. The immediate melodies found on the likes of Without Love and Dear Coaches Corner are replaced by subtler and harder compositions like the slow-burning Note To Self and Duplicate Keys Icaro (An Interim Report). Fans of “Todd” songs can rejoice however, as Rattan Cane and the hectic Hedron Collision form a one-two punch bordering on the approach of Gaza or the now-defunct Cursed. Lyrically, Failed States continues Propagandhi's commitment to left-wing activism, but without the preachy attitude that marred their first couple of releases.

This album is every bit as satisfying as you knew it would be. This is one occasion on which it's okay to just mindlessly consume.