Punkara by Asian Dub Foundation
- Superpower
- Burning Fence
- No Fun
- Speed of Light
- Ease Up Caesar
- S.O.C.A.
- Target Practice
- Living Under the Radar
- Altered Statesmen
- Bride of Punkara
- Stop the Bleeding
- Awake\Asleep
Review:
Historically, Culture Move was the best song that I had ever heard from ADF. That meant two things when ADF's new album Punkara was released, (1) my expectations were very high; and (2) I was hoping to hear the ADF sound of Rafi's Revenge and Tank. Unfortunately, I was disappointed on both points.
First however, some good things about the album. Al Rumjen, ADF's new singer, and Aktarvator, returning MC, both sound great on this album. Of course ADF has always had incredible vocals and these two performers fit right into that fold. They both come out strong on Burning Fence and Speed of Light; their voices perfectly in tune with ADF's distinctive, powerful, and political message (e.g., on Ease Up Caesar, "the work is done / so cut and run / gotta beat another war drum"). All this, makes me look forward to any future albums that they work on. Beyond that, ADF's hallmark production skills definitely shine through on Punkara.
Unfortunately however, that's where it ends.
The rest of the album comes across like a filler; there's no continuity from one track to the next. Tracks like No Fun and S.O.C.A. come across as studio jams that someone accidentally recorded. Honestly, ADF gets a chance to work with Iggy Pop and this is the best they could come up with? To top it off, the second half of the album sounds like a cliched high school rap/ska/punk band from the 90's that learned how to play dhol.
Save some money, listen to the samples and just buy the few tracks you like. Or, be like me - get the whole album to support ADF, and feel nostalgic for that first time you heard Rafi's Revenge.
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