Album Review of Resolver: Better Than What?
Resolver‘s Better Than What? arrived in my mailbox a couple years ago, was misplaced along with some other CDs, and then more recently made it back into my awareness, and I’m so glad it did! It’s a raw punk record with plenty of rough edges, but it’s steeped in modern, crisper production quality and some damn engaging – while at the same time riotous – melodies.
Better Than What? is the debut EP of Resolver, a band featuring former members of RazorCut, The Opposition, The Clinch, and Marching Orders, none of whose music I’ve ever heard, but then again I’m not super-knowledgeable about Australian street punk. What I am more familiar with is what damn good music sounds like, and this is, indeed, that.
The whole record surges relentless forward, providing seven songs of raucous energy. “Better Than What?” kicks things off, as a steady rhythm section, slightly-distorted buzzy axework, commanding lead vocals, and well-placed supporting vocals combine to form a catchy, memorable rock song, heavily punk in attitude but with steady yet understated broader-appeal axework, and a melody, too, that’ll reach fans well beyond a core punk rock audience.
“Beast” is another fast-paced, broader-appeal number, and again it’s the guitarwork that’s the most obvious key contributor to gaining the attention of a more mainstream audience, but that’s only because Resolver’s music stems from the brand of raw-yet-melodic punk rock that has always spun off an occasional crossover hit.
All seven songs continue in the same vein, each with their own nuances. For example, the drums play a key role in the appeal of “Mind Control,” as do some subtle key changes and guitar patterns that you’d more expect to hear from a pop-metal band. And album-closer “To Grow is a Privelege” has a singalongable, occasionally repeated lyric that seems to cycle faster as the song goes along, drawing the listener in.
If you’re a fan of raw, energetic Australian street punk (their words; I’m not sure exactly what would distinguish that subgenre), you probably already know and love Resolver. Other punk rockers are likely to dig this music, as well. And broader rock fans whose tastes don’t necessarily skew toward raw punk, like me, will connect with some of the broader pop and rock elements in Resolver’s songs. Therefore, Resolver’s Better Than What? is a record all rock ‘n roll fans should check out.
