STATE RADIO – LET IT GO
By Lindsey Hecht
CWG Magazine
January 26, 2010 2:53 PM
When I first heard State Radio’s debut album in 2005, ‘Us Against
the Crown,’ I was immediately hooked. Not just by the music itself,
but also for the passion in the music. The same feeling came over me
in 2007, when I heard ‘Year of the Crow,’ with its solidified band
line-up. While both their debut and sophomore albums alternately
stole my heart, ‘Let it Go’ wins the tug-o-war game – even when it’s
two against one.
Within a few seconds of the album I became an avid supporter of
their furthered uniqueness. Using a play on words, the track ‘Mansin
Humanity’ translates into ‘Man’s inhumanity towards man / Stop them
when they first began,’ as Stokes (the band’s vocal frontman) bellows
forth with intense, politically-charged lyrics. The opening track of
the album speaks about the Armenian genocide, while ‘Held Up by the
Wires’ has references about the Civil War, and ‘Calling All Crows’
seems more to me like a ‘Calling for Peace.’
‘Doctor Ron the Actor’ is reminiscent of Sublime and, from
start-to-finish, the track sticks to the simple structures of its
punkish nature. No single band member contributes more than the other,
and I hear Mike "Mad Dog" Najarian on drums and Chuck Fay on bass
rock out just as hard as Stokes does.
The title track, ‘Let it Go,’ only adds intensity to the album, as
they speak to their fans with lines like, ‘They came in truck with
their iron wrath / Driving this country to its dying breath." However,
even with all their lyrical power, State Radio still manages to provide
tracks that are cool and soulful, with a strict reggae jam-band sound.
I have forced friends to purchase the album in support of the band
that not only produces a matchless style, blending roots-reggae with
punk-rock, but also a band whose members give back to their community.
The band practices what they preach, donating to charity as well as
performing community service tasks in addition to be swamped on tour!
These guys are true givers, and I urge you to give back to them on
their most recent album, Let it Go. Buy the record, and the support
State Radio!