Melbourne trio The Living End return with ‘Wunderbar’ their eighth studio album. It’s a feast of irresistible Rock ‘N’ Roll with a Punk and Cowboy garnish. Opener and lead single ‘Don’t Lose It’ is Living End at their imperious best, dirty, dirty spat out R’n’R with a captivating melodic venomous edge. A slower paced ‘The Other Boys’ deals with social alienation within a God fearing and blinkered sheep society while ‘Otherside’ has a sunshine riff and a Pearl Jam heartbeat. ‘Death Of The American Dream’ resonates like Bad Religion’s Rockabilly cousin while the lyrics summon Jello Biafra to the witness stand before the pace does u-turn and the last minute of this outstanding track is an acoustic heartfelt warning. A Petty-esque ‘Drop The Needle’ gives way to the dust kicking ‘Love Won’t Wait’ before the mind-altering ‘Proton Pil’ buries human anxiety with a chemical hit. The edgy gracefulness of ‘Amsterdam’ is followed by the reality of war tune ‘Too Young To Die’. The smiling white teeth happy hot dog skipping boardwalk tune of ‘Wake Up The Vampires’ has some truly acidic lyrics to offset this, one way or another ditty. Oil-smeared overalls, cold bottles, bar stool scars singing soul piercing sociological and political Rock ‘N’ Roll. Ladies and gentlemen this is The Living End.
THE LIVING END
WUNDERBAR
RISE/BMG Records
8.5/10