Album Review: Leftover Crack “Constructs of the State”
review by Denise Borders
To say Leftover Crack is an interesting band would be an understatement, to me at least. I was a little late on the LOC train, getting into them around 2007 I think. I had heard of them, along with Choking Victim and all the relative bands, but I just hadn’t really called myself a fan or owned any of their music at that point. I’ve liked their ballsiness to sing about whatever the fuck they want, no matter how controversial, but then I’ve also had a bad taste in my mouth over some of the band member’s actions or personal words, but that’s not uncommon in this genre because a lot of people are assholes or do shitty things or whatever you want to say. HOWEVER, all of that aside, I really do like their music. I enjoy their less ska-stuff for sure, and I had no idea what to expect with this new record, but as soon as it started, I was like…
FUCK YES.
11.27.2015
Track List
1: Archaic Subjugation
2: Don’t Shoot
3: Loneliness & Heartache
4: System Fucked
5: Slave to the Throne
6: Bedbugs & Beyond
7: Corrupt Vision
8: Last Legs
9: The Lie of Luck
10: ¡Poliamor Fiesta Crack!
11: Vicious Constructs
12: Amanecer de los Muertos
13: The War at Home
The first track is so sick. It’s hard to be disappointed by Fat Wreck Chords also. One of the things I’ve always appreciated about this band is their distinct sound. I think it’s great when you could “name that band” without having ever heard the song before. This first track is a great example of that. It incorporates their original sound, but with a new twist…. and is that a female vocalist, I hear? I can’t find info on that exactly, but the album does have a few guest spots from Days N’ Daze (has a female), Mischief Brew (also has a female), The Bouncing Souls, Penny Rimbaud and Jesse Michaels, but it doesn’t specify who appears on which track exactly.
As the album continues, it has that familiar LOC sound with the catchy choruses and upbeat riffs, but with fairly dark lyrics. This has always been a band that I feel spreads their messages through making catchy music people enjoy listening to, in hopes the lyrics resonate with them. Do you know what I mean? Because if you think about it, the music is terribly upbeat for what the songs are actually saying, most of the time. System Fucked is a great example of that, because it’s one of the tracks that has a ska-feel, but clearly is about the fucked up system.
Slave to the Throne sounds straight up like the beginning of a Slayer song, which doesn’t surprise me because Leftover Crack has never really stuck to one genre style of music. The entire track has a speed-metal vibe to it but paired with Stza’s scratchy ass voice. Also, if you haven’t noticed by now, Ezra has departed from the band, which I’m sure will disappoint many fans because he’s been an intricate part of LOC. Honestly though, the CD doesn’t necessarily lack his presence, it’s still a solid record.
Something I like to do in reviews is mention my least and most favorite song on the record (if there is one), so regarding this album, my least favorite song is BY FAR Amanecer de los Muertos. I just don’t enjoy the lyrics and the whole song is sort of generic, like a gap filler for the album. However, the final track, The War at Home, has to be one of my favorites. It’s fast and stays interesting the entire time while sticking true to the LOC sound. I think it will be a cool song to hear live, hopefully they choose to put it in their setlists on upcoming tours. We shall see!
Another good thing about this band is they don’t bombard us with records every year. This is LOC’s third album and they’ve technically been a band since 1998. I sort of dig that because you anticipate the albums a lot more and they don’t get lost in the shuffle of releases. You can purchase the album now and the band has some tour dates coming up early next year, check them out below!
02/25/16
San Diego, CA
The Observatory North Park
w/ Anti-Flag
02/26/16
Santa Ana, CA
The Observatory
w/ Anti-Flag
02/27/16
Los Angeles, CA
Troubadour
w/ Anti-Flag
02/28/16
Las Vegas, NV
Vinyl at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
w/ Anti-Flag
03/01/16
San Francisco, CA
DNA Lounge
w/ Anti-Flag
03/02/16
Reno, NV
Knitting Factory
w/ Anti-Flag
03/04/16
Seattle, WA
El Corazon
w/ Anti-Flag
03/05/16
Portland, OR
Hawthorne Theatre
w/ Anti-Flag
About the Author
Denise Borders 39, Los Angeles. Denise founded PWV in 2008 and remains the primary manager and photographer/videographer. She is not secretly obsessed with Joey Cape.
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