Reviews

Positive and Focused

Urgent Kill It’s OK to Be Kind LP

Straightedge youth crew hardcore for the true believers. This is Tony from Positive and Focused Records’ band, a dedicated scene vet from Holland, and from what I understand, this band is him and a couple teenagers mining the tried and tested ore of youth crew HC. This mines more of the youth crew revival sound than the first wave—I hear some FASTBREAK, maybe some UP FRONT, but it’s done well enough. Lyrically on the right side of things, dealing with Tony’s recent bout with cancer, religion being exclusive and dangerous, the importance of non-racist mentalities, etc. As per tradition, it is unapologetically positive, to the point of almost being saccharine, so your mileage may vary there. I am in the tank for this stuff, so I can recommend it if you need some newer bands doing the style. My only nitpicks would probably be that the guitar tone isn’t sharp enough for my liking and the vocals could be mixed in a wee bit better, but it’s a cool enough genre exercise for those who already partake in music for sneaker and haircut high-top appreciation.

V/A Right on Time Re:imagined LP

I try to refrain from using the phrase “I’m sorry” when writing about music (in real life, I may not apologize enough). But in this case, I can’t conceive of any other way to rationalize how I feel about what I’m duty-bound to say. Right on Time Re:imagined is easily the worst release I’ve had to suffer through listening to in a long, long time. Each and every song is bad, some extraordinarily so. What we have here are six versions of the same song, interpreted by different artists in distinct genres spanning the gamut from “Sexy Stoner Rock’n’Roll” to “Emo Pop Punk” and “Heavenly Metal.” There’s even an “Unplugged Hardcore” rendition that is more egregious than whatever you’re imagining. The song that is the basis for such wide and varied explication is a by-the-numbers youth crew ditty called “Right on Time.” As a stand-alone track, it’s a decent slice of impassioned straightedge hardcore, with a message that offers genuine positivity in the face of adversity. And herein lies the source of my initial plea for forgiveness…this whole project is inspired by a member of the band RIGHT ON TIME’s battle against cancer, and is an ode to the support they received from friends in the darkest moments of that experience. Profits from this release support a Dutch foundation, No Guts No Glory, that is dedicated to making the music-related wishes of cancer patients come true. Truly a fantastic cause, and one that I do not wish to denigrate just because I don’t like the music involved. If you dig sXe hardcore and have broad enough interests, this may be right up your alley. In any case, there’s a worthy cause attached to this that makes my snarky take on the tunes irrelevant. Fuck cancer!