I always enjoyed this band, which goes back circa early 2000s to my college days…this was one of my late buddy’s favorite bands. When I listen to them now, I think of the good memories I had with him…thanks for covering this one and great selection Will!
He left shortly after their second album, Less Talk More Rock, in 1996. A couple of its tracks (“Anchorless” and “Letter of Resignation”) reappear in radically altered form on the Weakerthans’ debut in 2000. I feel like Reconstruction Site would get a decent reception from the TLM audience, even if it’s a bit by-the-numbers as an indie rock/folk album. Samson’s lyrics are undeniably strong.
I was a bit surprised by this one. I only knew Propagandhi as a pretty standard 90s punk band. A lot of those bands kept their style and sound same-y throughout the years. Some metal-ish sound starts coming through (as with a lot of punk bands tbh), and I think a few math rock guitar lines show up too (without the different time signatures. And as far as Bill Stevenson producing it goes, I'm not surprised. He's been a producer on a ton of albums; most notably Rise Against's entire career. The albums he produces tend to have a thick, heavy sound. Overall, it's pretty good but not exactly my style 3/5
Those first couple of Rise Against albums have some highlights, even though I never clicked with them entirely. I quickly lost interest once they jumped ship to a major label. I had no idea that Stevenson produced later albums like Appeal to Reason, Endgame, and The Black Market; much of that stuff sounds so toothless to me. I would’ve assumed that someone like Rick Rubin was the producer.
@@echosmyron1278 He produced (or helped produce) all but three - The Unraveling, Siren Song of the Counter Culture, and Wolves. Revolutions Per Minute is my favorite, followed by Siren Song. They work nice as a pair.
Never heard of this band, but I like them. Kind of a mix of Ministry and Sonic Youth (or maybe not, that's just what I thought of). Jason should add half a star for being an interesting listen. Thansk for the recommendation, and the review by my favourite DJs!
I wasn't super sure how this was going to go for me, as I am pretty particular about the punk and punk adjacent stuff I like and it usually falls more on the side of stuff from before the 90s. I've never been huge on 2000s and beyond punk especially and there were some pretty loud complaints from people about this album on the server. But I definitely didn't hate this at all. I found that it was very listenable and interesting throughout, something about it was very Canadian punk sounding to me (I mean beside the obviously Canadian "Dear Coach's Corner"). I was between a 3 and a 3.5 throughout the album but eventually settled on a 3 as some parts of it wore on me a little bit, maybe was a tad too long for me for this sound.
Glad to see a good score from one of the reviewers. I’d give this album a “low” 4.5 stars; it landed at #9 on my 2009 list. That year is one of the weaker ones of the decade, though, and it wouldn’t have cracked the top 15 in 2005 or 2006. I’m not put off by the speed and twisting tempos at all, but I started listening to punk when I was just 11, so I was accustomed to these stylistic elements by the time Supporting Caste was released. (Also, my 2009 AOTY is Converge’s Axe to Fall, which is even heavier than Supporting Caste.) There were a few other notable punk albums in 2009 that could be of interest to people who like the genre: Attack in Black - Years (By One Thousand Fingertips): a folk and indie rock-influenced punk album featuring Daniel Romano as a vocalist; I prefer his time as AIB’s frontman more than any of his numerous retro-themed solo albums, though a couple of his country albums from the mid 2010s are very good. Recommended track: “Birmingham” Teenage Bottlerocket - They Came from the Shadows: fun, bouncy pop punk with big choruses. This was also produced by Bill Stevenson, which shows that he’s recorded many different kinds of punk albums. Recommended track: “Skate or Die” The Marked Men - Ghosts: garage rock-flavored retro punk/power pop that recalls the early days of punk; definitely check this out if you like Buzzcocks and The Damned. Recommended track: “Ditch”
This album rocks, and rocks hard. Brutal, super-high energy, churning helicopter guitars, crushing drums, good bass. The ferociousness is pretty relentless, although there are moments of respite from the onslaught. The vocals are super intense, and I do like them to a degree, but melodically, they're not the most pleasing vocals and I do think they rely on the same handful of notes a bit too often. But the songs are fairly sophisticated with multipart sections, and while they can get a little same-y (thanks especially to the vocals), there was enough variety to keep me interested, and some interesting lyrics too. The hidden track goes for a completely different vibe and features the only synth I noticed on the record. The opening two tracks are my favorite (especially the title track which is excellent), and those are the two songs I would probably go back to. While I do dig this kind of music, I usually prefer it in smaller doses (again, this is often due in part to the same-y factor). All things considered, I'm going 3.75 on this - really good.
I did not love this album, but I didn't hate it either. The more melodic parts worked for me, while the punky parts not so much. I gave this one a 3.0. Not likely to ever play it again, but I wouldn't be mad if someone else played it. With their headphones on.
Hey fellas, Album cover got my attention, Caste as in “Caste system” ? It’s definitely head banger thrasher with its frenzied guitar. Lyrics suggest something profound, only with “Bangers Embrace, “Humane Meat” was I truly interested
This music has a bit more metal in it than most punk, but I found the overall vibe to be reminiscent of Bad Religion. That's both good and bad- it makes me predisposed to like the album, but also makes me compare it to Bad Religion's best stuff, which is hard to live up to. Ask me if the songs are good or bad and I'd say they're good, but I also can't say any of them jumped out at me. If I squint, I can get to 3.5 stars. But realistically, I don't think I'd ever seek this album out again, which drops it to 3 stars.
My Bad Religion discography ranking. As you see, I think they were at their best in the late 80s/early 90s. 1. Against the Grain (1990) 2. No Control (1989) 3. Suffer (1988) 4. Generator (1992) 5. The Empire Strikes First (2004) 6. The Dissent of Man (2010; their slowest album, but a nice change from the norm) 7. The Process of Belief (2002) 8. New Maps of Hell (2007) 9. Stranger Than Fiction (1994) 10. True North (2013) 11. Age of Unreason (2019) 12. The Gray Race (1996) 13. Recipe for Hate (1993) 14. How Could Hell Be Any Worse? (1982) 15. The New America (2000) 16. No Substance (1998) 17. Into the Unknown (1983; don’t own it, don’t want it either)
@@TastesLikeMusic To me, neutral is equivalent to "decent/OK" which is a 3. 2.5 is "meh." Not quite mediocre, but not decent. I suppose neutral works for that.
Put it this way: the goal of an album isn’t usually to make you feel nothing and for you to not connect with it on any level, good or bad. So yeah, it’s disappointing when an album is a 2.5. I don’t mean neutral as in average I mean neutral as in I had no emotional response to it whatsoever and I don’t care about it at all. -Jason
Wow! A band I'd never thought to see mentioned here. Bold album from a scene where bands typically didn't evolve. At the time, I wasn't a fan of this or its predecessor, Potemkin City Limits (weird the title track made the next album lol) because I didn't like my punk bands to change. I have much greater appreciation for it now even if I probably like everything before it more. It's nice when a political band actually has stuff to say beyond surface level echo chamber stuff. This was def the right Propagandhi album for Joe. I will say I prefer the offshoot band, The Weakerthans, formed by their original bassist, John K Samson, and that would be in Jason's wheelhouse. Phenomenal lyricist.
I always enjoyed this band, which goes back circa early 2000s to my college days…this was one of my late buddy’s favorite bands. When I listen to them now, I think of the good memories I had with him…thanks for covering this one and great selection Will!
The musicianship is next level. They are truly a special band. If hardcore/punk is your thing then these guys deserve a listen.
Great job fellas! Thanks for the shoutout too! ❤
I'm a huge fan of John K Samson, who was in this band and then formed The Weakerthans.
He left shortly after their second album, Less Talk More Rock, in 1996. A couple of its tracks (“Anchorless” and “Letter of Resignation”) reappear in radically altered form on the Weakerthans’ debut in 2000. I feel like Reconstruction Site would get a decent reception from the TLM audience, even if it’s a bit by-the-numbers as an indie rock/folk album. Samson’s lyrics are undeniably strong.
Weakerthans are criminally underrated
Im here for the propagandhi
Greatest band name ever!!
I was a bit surprised by this one. I only knew Propagandhi as a pretty standard 90s punk band. A lot of those bands kept their style and sound same-y throughout the years. Some metal-ish sound starts coming through (as with a lot of punk bands tbh), and I think a few math rock guitar lines show up too (without the different time signatures.
And as far as Bill Stevenson producing it goes, I'm not surprised. He's been a producer on a ton of albums; most notably Rise Against's entire career. The albums he produces tend to have a thick, heavy sound.
Overall, it's pretty good but not exactly my style
3/5
Those first couple of Rise Against albums have some highlights, even though I never clicked with them entirely. I quickly lost interest once they jumped ship to a major label.
I had no idea that Stevenson produced later albums like Appeal to Reason, Endgame, and The Black Market; much of that stuff sounds so toothless to me. I would’ve assumed that someone like Rick Rubin was the producer.
@@echosmyron1278 He produced (or helped produce) all but three - The Unraveling, Siren Song of the Counter Culture, and Wolves. Revolutions Per Minute is my favorite, followed by Siren Song. They work nice as a pair.
Never heard of this band, but I like them. Kind of a mix of Ministry and Sonic Youth (or maybe not, that's just what I thought of). Jason should add half a star for being an interesting listen. Thansk for the recommendation, and the review by my favourite DJs!
I wasn't super sure how this was going to go for me, as I am pretty particular about the punk and punk adjacent stuff I like and it usually falls more on the side of stuff from before the 90s. I've never been huge on 2000s and beyond punk especially and there were some pretty loud complaints from people about this album on the server. But I definitely didn't hate this at all. I found that it was very listenable and interesting throughout, something about it was very Canadian punk sounding to me (I mean beside the obviously Canadian "Dear Coach's Corner"). I was between a 3 and a 3.5 throughout the album but eventually settled on a 3 as some parts of it wore on me a little bit, maybe was a tad too long for me for this sound.
Glad to see a good score from one of the reviewers. I’d give this album a “low” 4.5 stars; it landed at #9 on my 2009 list. That year is one of the weaker ones of the decade, though, and it wouldn’t have cracked the top 15 in 2005 or 2006. I’m not put off by the speed and twisting tempos at all, but I started listening to punk when I was just 11, so I was accustomed to these stylistic elements by the time Supporting Caste was released.
(Also, my 2009 AOTY is Converge’s Axe to Fall, which is even heavier than Supporting Caste.)
There were a few other notable punk albums in 2009 that could be of interest to people who like the genre:
Attack in Black - Years (By One Thousand Fingertips): a folk and indie rock-influenced punk album featuring Daniel Romano as a vocalist; I prefer his time as AIB’s frontman more than any of his numerous retro-themed solo albums, though a couple of his country albums from the mid 2010s are very good. Recommended track: “Birmingham”
Teenage Bottlerocket - They Came from the Shadows: fun, bouncy pop punk with big choruses. This was also produced by Bill Stevenson, which shows that he’s recorded many different kinds of punk albums. Recommended track: “Skate or Die”
The Marked Men - Ghosts: garage rock-flavored retro punk/power pop that recalls the early days of punk; definitely check this out if you like Buzzcocks and The Damned. Recommended track: “Ditch”
I have a name, Echoes. - Joe
This album rocks, and rocks hard. Brutal, super-high energy, churning helicopter guitars, crushing drums, good bass. The ferociousness is pretty relentless, although there are moments of respite from the onslaught. The vocals are super intense, and I do like them to a degree, but melodically, they're not the most pleasing vocals and I do think they rely on the same handful of notes a bit too often. But the songs are fairly sophisticated with multipart sections, and while they can get a little same-y (thanks especially to the vocals), there was enough variety to keep me interested, and some interesting lyrics too. The hidden track goes for a completely different vibe and features the only synth I noticed on the record. The opening two tracks are my favorite (especially the title track which is excellent), and those are the two songs I would probably go back to. While I do dig this kind of music, I usually prefer it in smaller doses (again, this is often due in part to the same-y factor). All things considered, I'm going 3.75 on this - really good.
I did not love this album, but I didn't hate it either. The more melodic parts worked for me, while the punky parts not so much. I gave this one a 3.0. Not likely to ever play it again, but I wouldn't be mad if someone else played it. With their headphones on.
Hey fellas, Album cover got my attention, Caste as in “Caste system” ? It’s definitely head banger thrasher with its frenzied guitar. Lyrics suggest something profound, only with “Bangers Embrace, “Humane Meat” was I truly interested
This music has a bit more metal in it than most punk, but I found the overall vibe to be reminiscent of Bad Religion. That's both good and bad- it makes me predisposed to like the album, but also makes me compare it to Bad Religion's best stuff, which is hard to live up to. Ask me if the songs are good or bad and I'd say they're good, but I also can't say any of them jumped out at me. If I squint, I can get to 3.5 stars. But realistically, I don't think I'd ever seek this album out again, which drops it to 3 stars.
My Bad Religion discography ranking. As you see, I think they were at their best in the late 80s/early 90s.
1. Against the Grain (1990)
2. No Control (1989)
3. Suffer (1988)
4. Generator (1992)
5. The Empire Strikes First (2004)
6. The Dissent of Man (2010; their slowest album, but a nice change from the norm)
7. The Process of Belief (2002)
8. New Maps of Hell (2007)
9. Stranger Than Fiction (1994)
10. True North (2013)
11. Age of Unreason (2019)
12. The Gray Race (1996)
13. Recipe for Hate (1993)
14. How Could Hell Be Any Worse? (1982)
15. The New America (2000)
16. No Substance (1998)
17. Into the Unknown (1983; don’t own it, don’t want it either)
And you blew it
Quite a big fan of their album " Potemkin City Limits ", but nothing else ever clicked. Certainly not bad, though.
Interesting, will check em out. Kind of a lefty.
Bonnie Prince Billy and John Darnielle over here
2.5 is neutral? 🤔
Yeah. Always has been
@@TastesLikeMusic To me, neutral is equivalent to "decent/OK" which is a 3. 2.5 is "meh." Not quite mediocre, but not decent. I suppose neutral works for that.
Put it this way: the goal of an album isn’t usually to make you feel nothing and for you to not connect with it on any level, good or bad. So yeah, it’s disappointing when an album is a 2.5. I don’t mean neutral as in average I mean neutral as in I had no emotional response to it whatsoever and I don’t care about it at all. -Jason
@@TastesLikeMusic A-ha. Makes sense. Well put my friend.
Wow! A band I'd never thought to see mentioned here. Bold album from a scene where bands typically didn't evolve. At the time, I wasn't a fan of this or its predecessor, Potemkin City Limits (weird the title track made the next album lol) because I didn't like my punk bands to change. I have much greater appreciation for it now even if I probably like everything before it more. It's nice when a political band actually has stuff to say beyond surface level echo chamber stuff. This was def the right Propagandhi album for Joe.
I will say I prefer the offshoot band, The Weakerthans, formed by their original bassist, John K Samson, and that would be in Jason's wheelhouse. Phenomenal lyricist.
2 or maybe 1 stars out of 5.