With a career spanning two decades, you’d be forgiven for expecting The Levellers to have chilled out a bit. On the evidence of their new free-to-download single “Burn America Burn”, that’s the one thing they haven’t done.
Musically, it’s the same old Levellers sound – simple melodic Anglo-punk with a big spoonful of folk, clarion lines from the barnstorming fiddle and a rabble-rousing shout-along chorus. Some bands don’t need to evolve their sound over time, because they have a niche of their own - “Burn America Burn” could have appeared on A Weapon Called The Word without seeming out of place.
It’s more contemporary from a political perspective, however. The Levellers have always been fiercely critical of international affairs and unafraid to speak their minds through their music, but the message behind “Burn America Burn” is something that speaks to the Zeitgeist. Although it will doubtless see them accused of anti-Americanism (which isn’t a difficult label to acquire in this day and age), the song isn’t a threat but an observation.
It’s “about the self destruction of the country”, according to The Levellers themselves, and looks at the rottenness of US society through the lens of the recent Virginia Tech shootings. It’s interesting to note that while the bluntness of approach is something The Levellers have always taken, the subject matter isn’t as shocking as it once would have been; while the band still have a unique character, they’re not the only voice of dissent any more. “Burn America Burn” isn’t news, it’s the status quo.
The internet has partly robbed us of the need for musicians to tell us uncomfortable truths; we can turn them up at the click of a mouse whenever we desire. However, no one has yet found a way to make the internet create catchy foot-stomping punk tunes about them – which is fine, because that’s what The Levellers have always done best. You can download “Burn America Burn” from 2nd June onwards.
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Posted in Music reviews |
Tags: Burn America Burn, folk, political, punk, The Levellers
