Lost City Angels
"Broken World"
Universal

After watching this band's rock star posturing on stage at a recent Tiger Army show this reviewer was ready to write this record off completely as another by the numbers generic punk band.

To an extent, I wouldn't have been wrong, but then I stumbled upon track six (the title track) and found myself rewinding this hidden gem over and over again. The song is a swinging, gritty, punk anthem that is so sickeningly perfect that I can't stop listening to it. The few times that I was distracted and let the CD go on, I found myself starting to enjoy parts of the rest of the CD. Sure it's clean as hell, but I can't just toss it into the Good Charlotte reject pile.

The songs are somewhat smart. The music rides that old 1995 Rancid, Social Distortion, Swingin' Utters-bruiser street punk style. And you know what? It rocks. I didn't want it to rock, and I still think that the band looks like the type of kids that beat me up in high school, but the record grows on you like a rash that just won't go away.

Reviewed by: George Koroneos
Reviewed on: June 10, 2005