Propagandhi – Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes (Fat Wreck Chords 2000)

by Dave Sharp on Jan 18^th, 2010

Reviewer: Brian Gunn

I’ve never really been a fan of the punk rock scene, probably because I was blinded by garbage bands like Blink 182 and Sum 41. Most of the stuff I had heard had either horrid vocals or a boring sound. Thankfully, my attention was turned to the “political punk” scene, where I could find bands that stood out. One such band is Propagandhi.

The best part of Propagandhi is easily their lyrics, though the actual instrumentals and vocals aren’t far behind. Pretty much every song has some kind of meaning to it. Mate Ka Morris Ukun Rasik An, the first track tells of Bella Gahlos, an East Timore refugee/ revolutionary. At first, I thought the song was just another filler track, but after listening to the lyrics carefully and finding the background of the song, it turns out to be one of the best. Another one of my favorite songs, lyrically, on the album is Natural Disasters, which points out hypocrisy in religion and what we think of as “good people.”

Musically, Propagandhi ranges from slow to fast, with rather seamless transitions. They sound heavier, and in my view, a lot more talented than a lot of punk bands, sounding like what they originally called themselves “progressive thrash.” Eventually though, some of the songs begin to sound alike, although thankfully not for very long. Musically, the best song is easily Back to the Motor League, which also has some rather insightful lyrics. The vocals aren’t really anything special, though they fit with the music perfectly for the most part. The only problem is that sometimes the instrumentals drown the singing out. Vocals are probably the best on the title track Today’s Empires, Tomorrow’s Ashes which sound oddly upbeat for the lyrics of the song, but provide for an adrenaline pumped melody.

The best thing about Propagandhi is the fact that they don’t really sound too much like other bands, and their lyrics say something different on every track. Easily one of the best “political punk” bands and albums out there, go pick it up soon, even if you’re not into the majority of punk music, like myself.