It has been written (not least in the accompanying press release) that
The Constantines are like a 'Joe Strummer fronted Fugazi.' For anyone
new to their music, this would probably come across as a bit of a
poisoned chalice. I am not knocking The Clash or Fugazi, both, were and
are respectively, great bands. It's just that most new punk rock bands,
trying their damnedest to emulate their sounds, end up foregoing the
anger and fiery political rhetoric that was so ingrained in their
music, ending up weak, diluted versions with nothing to say except
juvenile comment and stories of girlfriend problems.
Not so The Constantines. They have taken Strummer's political and
social visions and shifted them in new directions. The subjects of
their vitriol are the shallow, the fashion victims and the trendy, but
not through direct assault. They do it through visions of urban decay,
championing the struggles of the downtrodden and the meek : 'The
architects are choking out another hollow tooth / And the rooms have
all been rented from the gutter to the roof / In the heart of a city /
Desire finds its fuel / You go out looking for trouble / Sooner or
later and the trouble finds you.' and from the title track : 'Don't
talk to me about simple things / There's no such thing / All a man can
build is his vision / And I love my man for trying.' Testimony to the
fact that the greatest achievements are borne out of, not privilege and
power, but pain and struggle.
As has been mentioned in previous articles written, there is something
Springsteen like about addressing the problems of the working man, and
instead of The Boss's gospel wail, a punk growl is utilised instead.
The protagonists of many of the songs are used in conjunction with
urban animal imagery : ' Another empty pocket took a fall / Wild ones
put a kid out of business / And they shake it off like shivering dogs,'
from 'Poison.' Men and women are 'Pigeons;' they are the duped and the
vulnerable.
The Constantines play with a power and a passion that is worthy of
their Clash comparisons. Rather than being some cheap imitation band,
they have taken the ideas further, incorporating elements of
Television, and the social awareness of The Specials. It is relieving
to find that rock still has this kind of unpretentious, gritty power
amongst all the haircut obsessed, fame seekers that too often dominate
the scene. Highly recommended. |