Taken By Force

Presentación del Álbum

If you're from Australia and you want to play tough, straightforward punk-leaning rock with a lot of energy, you have your choice of some pretty impressive role models, such as the Celibate Rifles, the Saints, and especially Radio Birdman, arguably the Antipodes greatest contribution to punk. Civic are a fierce rock & roll band from Melbourne who clearly aspire to this great tradition, and for their second album, 2023's Taken by Force, they've gone straight to the source in pursuit of a mentor: in this case, Radio Birdman vocalist Rob Younger, who produced the LP. While Younger's presence doubtless helped bring out the Birdman-isms in this music, Civic clearly couldn't pull this off if they didn't have the goods, and the good news is they've done their homework and kick out the jams with admirable strength. As songwriters, Civic lack something in the way of original vision, and anyone who owns a copy of Do the Pop! will recognize the melodic frameworks of most of these tracks (though on "Born in the Heat" they seem to be borrowing from the Clash, which makes for some variety). That said, if you want to hear a band that knows how to crank out some high-energy, no-frills rock, Taken by Force is for you. Jim McCullough has a vocal sneer worthy of Mark Arm (if not Iggy Pop), guitarists Lewis Hodgson and Jackson Harry tear into the songs with just the right degree of finesse (and can pull off solid solos when called upon), and bassist Roland Hlavka and drummer Matt Blach know how to push this monster into fifth gear. This music breaks no new ground, but in both concept and execution, Taken By Force does right by its inspirations and is a welcome reminder of just how good some down and dirty old-school proto-punk can feel. Sure, you've heard this sort of thing before, but when it's served up with this kind of quality and commitment, there's lots to be said for giving it another spin.
© Mark Deming /TiVo