reds is:means

this will be the last 'angry' album i post in a while cos i wanna keep this blog varied. quite an apt release, then, as this album is (like below) one of the most important hardcore/emo record of the last 10 years - yeah i went duur. i think this was released 2005'ish? feel free to correct me. either way it was a split-release with waking, clean plate, ape must not kill ape & sncl- good groups of guys then. as far as i know it is OOP, but i guess it might be in a distro somewhere or pop up on ebay. anyway, this is a fast, frantic, in-yr-face, verging on complete collapse, record. its kinda all over the place, but maaaan is it intense! there is proper feeling here; furious, angry, and chaotic yes, but it is dripping with passion. as cheesy as that sounds. these guys MEAN what they sing. and what they sing about is a big part of this record. you could probably listen to this completely oblivious to the political undertones but that would take away the real impact of what is a very lyrically frustrated album. for example, dividing unions is, i think, about same sex marriages - the stagnation of reform when it comes to accepting it, and the inability of various institution to evolve/progress. the narrative starts about the 'american dream', "...growing up i want to take part in the dream; a house, a kid, a life - be just like mom and dad. ill find the perfect partner to call my very own and we'd bound in matrimony." but it continues..., "your institutions have become a tool of exclusion - i want no part in it." it finishes with, "our life our ours, to live as we see fit, to love who we love, how we choose, without intrusion or your permission." other songs tackle the ideas of privacy, the intrusion of the state and notions of equality and other establishments (i even think i hear him scream about populism somewhere). this may sound preachy, but it isn't - its not done like that. it ain't vegan folk punx, guys. these are important and serious issues and reds manage to table their opinions without trying to form those of others. this may sound a little blergh, but they remain optimistic and positive in the belief that it isn't too late to change. cool, yeah.

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