Youth Brigade
To Sell The Truth (BYO)
by Jon Sarre
“We had our day/Is there anything left to say/Old punks don’t die/They just cash in.” I couldn’t have put it any better myself. Youth Brigade are back and they have absolutely nothing new to say. Do we really need more punk songs about how people should take responsibility for their actions, the evil religious right, sellouts, or – yeah, here’s a concept – alienation? They did add getting old to their limited anarcho-commie sympth subject matter, I’ll give ’em that much (but “youth is an attitude, not an age,” so I guess that makes me about 75 because I feel crankier than Bob Dole after listening to the “new” material from these So. Cal. skinhead Trotskyites).
Unless you missed it (because we all know the revolution is not gonna be televised), the left wing punk rock utopia these “youths” have been working toward since they were indeed youths still hasn’t come to pass. No bother. You know what they say: “If at first you don’t succeed at seizing control of the machinery of the crypto-fascist state, try, try again.” The funny thing is that Youth Brigade are still at it. “Sick” is a call to “Take back the power/Throw out the rules,” etc. Viva the revolution stuff. My question is, why haven’t these guys pawned their gear and bought guns and bombs yet? Do they really expect to start a mass youth uprising by putting out another lousy album?
The one standout track here is the rockabilly-esque “Street Dominator,” a song about a vintage car that doesn’t run. It’s a pretty apt analogy for an old band that doesn’t run well itself. Other than that, To Sell The Truth is predictable and dull, and Shawn Stern’s voice grates on me almost as much as that Kevin Seconds creep’s does. Oh yeah, they thoughtfully added a hidden track to the CD, just in case you fall asleep halfway through. I wouldn’t bother staying up for it though, it’s more of the same shit.