aaamusic | On 19, Jan 2011

The urban ghost of Johnny Thunders haunts the dusty night backroads of America’s lost highways in Social Distortion’s new release, ‘Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes’. After six years, the band finally give us what we wanted: something exciting, something comforting and above all, something to place in the hi-fi with a smile.

Right from the first distorted chord of ‘Road Zombie’, this album delivers in spades. As an opener, this track speeds down the heat-hazed highways of the band’s collective headspace, sun beating down upon its gleaming melodicism and razor-sharp attitude. It took me a few listens to realise this is an instrumental; it is that exhilarating compared to the usual flaccid thirty second noodlings we are offered by way of intro tracks.

And now, down to business with ‘California (Hustle and Flow)’, which is Social Distortion’s answer to the immortal L.A.M.F album distilled into one song. Featuring a laid-back yet cool and slick dirty blues base to its heartfelt punk, with heavenly soul backing vocals accompanying the rasping yet tuneful lead vocals and sturdy cymbal-driven drum beat. Blending power and laconic cool in its effortless riffs and solos, this is the soundtrack to a million rock n roll summers.

Things darken and tense musically for the downbeat, rapid strumming of ‘Gimme The Sweet And Lowdown’, the tenderest of Social D’s spectrum played with energetic finesse. Whereas once they were the troubled kids’ peers, the band have now assumed the role of older confidants without faltering. Sharing this balance of upset and understanding is our breakup song of the album: ‘Alone And Forsaken’, with a tensely-coiled strumming riff and seething cymbals as the verses build to a boiling point. The chorus is smooth in its harmonised vocals yet full of the ragged shards of a broken heart, the blues pounded into fearsome shape by a constant chord attack and fearsome cymbal hiss that underpins the softer surface of the track.

‘Diamond In The Rough’ features a catchy opening riff that wouldn’t be out of place on a radio hit, yet its attitude and independence marks it as a cut above your rock radio fodder, as gang vocal harmonies in the chorus are given sparkle by the assured musicianship. A simple chord bounce and drum fill has rarely been deployed with such simple efficiency than in this catchy Americana punk gem that not only matches Springsteen at his most enjoyable, but takes his stick, polishes it and shows him how it is done.

And of course, we have the exhilarating high-speed outlaw punk rock of ‘Machine Gun Blues’, a hot and dirty blast of dark rock n roll, with a blistering riff surrounded by a bullet-fast drum beat, gunfire snare rattles and evocative narrative lyricism. Harmonised backing vocals perfectly offset Ness’ whisky-and-sand rasp, and the guitar is bright as the Nevada sun and dusty as a long-lost highway. Leading on from this is the mournful slow song ‘Bakersfield’, a yearning for lost innocence and romance. The beat sways like a romantic ballad yet the melody is one of defiant weariness. Although the chorus swells and soars and urges the listener to learn the words and sing along, this song never feels trite thanks to the earnest heart-on-sleeve style. The backing vocals and organ bring a hint of gospel, giving added weight and wonder, and the instrumental section bleeds drum fills flawlessly into the expressive guitar solo, before the instruments fall back to allow for a pseudo-spoken word section that shows a sense of wry humour and real warmth. And if ‘Bakersfield’ wasn’t quite touching enough, we have the stripped-down tearjerker of ‘Writing On The Wall’, a reach-out to those who have loved and lost that manages to hook onto the heartstrings with nothing more than a distorted guitar riff and a warm comforting sense of a kindred spirit within its confessional yet never cliché lyrics.

‘Far Side Of Nowhere’ brings us back to the upbeat side of life, almost a twin to ‘California (Hustle And Flow)’ in its attitude, blending optimism with tales of the down-and-out into what will almost inevitably become a favourite.

Don’t think we’re through yet though, as the sneering scorcher of ‘Can’t Take It With You’ brings back all the outlaw blood and thunder in a dusty cloud of attitude and sound. Every last note gleams and seethes with barely-restrained fury to create a real sense of danger and exhilaration. The bluesy backing vocals and piano solo (bringing to mind whiskey shots at a cowboy biker saloon) are offset by bare-bones drumming, maintaining menace throughout a standout cut of adrenalin-soaked rocking out.

And to close, we have the semi-autobiographical ‘Still Alive’, a catchy yet contemplative and surprisingly eloquent reflection on carrying on against adversary that could be seen as a combined mission statement and celebration, trumping the singer-songwriters at the own game with honesty and excitement in equal measures, leading to an almost dreamlike piano close.

Yes, Social Distortion took a very long time to create this album. However, despite plans to record and release an acoustic album, the band realised that what the world not only wanted, but in fact needed, was a straight-up quality studio album, and with ‘Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes’ they have really delivered the goods, blending confessional with narrative, all backed up by some stellar musicianship to create something that is more like a screenplay than an album in its vibrancy and immediacy. Showering verbose praise feels out of place with a record so direct, so all I have left to say is listen long and listen loud, this is a rock n roll roadtrip you need to be a part of.

Author: Katie H-Halinski