Father walks into son’s room
-Timothy? Timothy, listen, I’m leaving on another business trip tomorrow…again. While I’m gone I’m going to need you to…. What is that racket? Will you please turn off that crap while I’m talking to you?!
*Dad, calm down. A little Roger Miret never hurt anybody. (hmmm, actually…)
-Anyways, your mother and I… What in the name of molly is that man saying???
*Timothy gladly turns it back up:
Don't give a shit what you say
Ain't listen to your lies
My pride ain't up for sale
So knock on some others life
You think 'cause you dress the same
It's gonna buy into our kind
These boots are made for stomping
And they'll stomp all over you! fuck you!
Fuck you, I hate you
Fuck off! fuck you!
Fuck you, I hate you
Fuck off! Fuck you!!!
-Timothy David Jameson!!!
*(Smiling as if all was planned) Eh?
- Tim, I don’t exactly approve of this racket at all… But at least those lyrics make you feel right at home.
Have a nice weekend, son.
:) Little Timmy’s got the right idea.
Agnostic Front was huge. There’s no denying that. It was the frontline and the gravitational flow for any other “hardcore” band in the 80’s, and early 90’s. Stigma was the name of the “racket” that proudly plagued all of Agnostic Front’s songs, and is considered one of the best guitarists in punk. While Stigma traced out the band’s concoction to make it to the such sweet big time, Miret was the ultimate secret weapon for any band trying to pencil in those traces. Roger Miret has the voice of abolition. It sounds like an angry stampede of all the great voices before him tossed in a blender and thrown out in a quite diabolical way. Hey, I tried. Not many can describe the man’s talent. Upon the huge success of Agnostic Front, Miret came to be a legend in the genre, and uses of the then-famous “Oi” element got them noticed.
Things worsened for the band year after the year, with losses of band members and absence of creativity. When a luscious piece of meat rots, toss it out, and grab yourself a more fresh meat that is less seasoned. Years later, Roger took some meat and lured a band called
The Disasters to his trap of evil. As lame as that may sound, it’s how it went down, and one of the greatest, mind-set acts in punk goes by the name
Roger Miret and the Disasters.
1984 happens to be the Disaster’s second album, the first being a bit weak. Their backdrop being set in New York, except the same house rules as those of Agnostic Front’s but with a lot of it settled towards more harmonic entrances, and layouts.
Their first self titled record turned heads, and made a great entrance but this would have just taken the cake. 1984 is epic. The first three tracks being pure “Miret-approved” gold, the record holds up extremely well, and involves no sequences that will bore in a row. Influences of Sham 69, Stiff Little Fingers, and The Clash are evident throughout the album. Apart from the band chanting some of punk’s classic lines throughout the album, tremendous rhythmic material shape out the tracks spectacularly (Fingers). The chants leading up to high points in composition have the energy of saints (Sham). Slower-paced material reflects an awful lot on slurred speech and tempos and sublime musical horizons to satisfy fans of albums like
Sandinista! and
London Calling. Influences are a big part of what any musician plays.
Lyrics are mainly set on anything else Miret has ever put out. Non-stop, addictive, never-ending fun (destroying property, causing riots, badmouthing politicians). The excellent quakes of sound on these tracks reflects perfectly on what Miret attempts to lay out straight at the listener. Talking about causing mass hysteria on the streets of New York? Eh, toss out a wail off guitarist Rhys Kill’s weapon and send out some threatening thumps out of that rhythmic section. Leave Miret to the rest. Topics really do range on sensitivity, and harshness. Sensitivity. Something Miret wasn’t exactly used to. These range from the slow-paced flashback of Roger’s roots (New York City), to the “heartwarming” lyrics of “I Don’t Like You”, as can be seen spewing out of Timmy’s speakers at the top. It goes to show that Miret can make something so repetitive and to-the-point so interesting. It’s on the
Stand Out list for a reason, fellas.
Oi Oi Oi! The men standing behind Miret make good use of their picks and sticks as well. The cliché chants become a bit overloaded throughout some of the album, but as small a matter as that is, it deserves to be pointed out. Rhys Kill is the man behind the guitar as Miret plays some chords to accompany Kill’s arsenal of sounds, which are occasionally spewed out also, at high points. It can become quite amazing to listen to Kill’s technique and timing. Brian Dartwas and Luke Rotas are on bass and drums. As I said, the guys run of influences from some of punks greatest rhythmic sections. The Stiff Little Finger’s power runs through Brian and Luke’s fingertips as they throw out some great lines out here occasionally. The opener on here is a great example of this, and teamwork is surely evident.
The Disasters corner the genre at a frontier that I have barely seen anywhere else. A listen is very appreciated here. Many will be misled on the amount of thumbs-up Miret’s vocals are getting. It’s a fifty-fifty chance you’ll enjoy it. Most people, especially those not used to the genre at all, may find the vocals truly pointless and bothersome. He created something very different and very close to perfect this time. 1984 is an anthem. To punk rock, to the sounds before Miret, and to the listeners that brought him to be. The man will continue to be a legend in my book. Potential flows, and though not enough to get a lot of time on today’s overrated networks, it gets plenty of credit. No overplays. So until then, rock on, little Timmy, rock on.
Roger Miret and the Disasters-
Roger Miret- Vocals, Guitar
Rhys Kill- Guitar, Vocals
Brian Dartwas- Bass, Vocals
Luke Rota- Drums
Stand Out Tracks:
Loud And Proud
Riot, Riot, Riot
1984
Street Rock N Roll
I Don’t Like You
Excellent.
4/5
