I love British punk, maybe more than any other genre. The accent, the loud, fuzzy guitars, the angry post-Thatcherite values – I love it all. I was raised on The Clash and Souxsie And The Banshees, and it's just kind of lodged in my brain ever since. The British punk scene still seems – at least to an outsider – to still be going strong, probably even stronger under the new Conservative austerity measures (it's hard to not be mad when the Bedroom Tax is killing pensioners). I'm not entirely sure exactly what Slaves are angry about on Are You Satisfied?– capitalism maybe? - but whatever it is, it makes for a perfectly serviceable, aggressive Brit-punk record.
Are You Satisfied is at its best when it's angry. When the British two piece stick to pounding drums and thick, crunchy guitars, the album works. 'Hey' is loud, screamy, and clocks in at under 3 minutes – a perfect punk song. The title track, on the other hand, is an attempt at an acoustic song that comes off as jarring in comparison to the rest of the album. It's too slow, and the awkward-earnestness of typical punk lyrics doesn't work well without the driving fury of punk music behind it. Slaves should stick to incredibly fast songs and leave the thoughtful folk-Brit-punk to Frank Turner.
Aside from that, Are You Satisfied is a really good album. It hangs together well, and as musicians, Slaves are pretty damn good. The guitar work is especially electric, and the rhythm section gets right in your head. 'Cheer Up London' and 'Despair and Traffic' are highlights, both being crashing, driving, energetic punk songs with Laurie Vincent's pissed of snarl layered over the top. The album is well produced without losing that sense of basement-show grittiness that's basically a requirement of straight-up punk. Are You Satisfied is a promising debut album from Slaves. Hopefully the can maintain that energy through the rest of their career, because it works well.
Review Score: 7.9 out of 10
Are You Satisfied is out now through Virgin EMI. For more details: http://www.youareallslaves.com/
