(Casadeldisco / Shock Records)

Melbourne protest rockers don’t like themselves much, either

When you run out of things to be cranky about, where do the songs come from? As you turn the pages of your daily national newspaper (shouldn’t be hard to pick your favourite, there’s only two of them) and cross out all the things you’ve screamed about over the last 12 years, what do you write about when all that’s left is the cartoons and sudoku puzzle? Melbourne’s The Nation Blue recorded and released their 2007 album Protest Songs like the world wouldn’t be around to see the next one, full of apocalyptic tales and political spitfire. But another two years on and we’re still here, and the trio have put themselves under the microscope, displaying their faults and insecurities. As you would expect, this can get a little tiresome for 14 songs over 54 minutes, and the serious candid nature of the songs doesn’t really reveal anything unique about their self-angst. But this bleak honesty combined with their emotive musicianship is what really engages the listener for the duration. After a handful of lilting yawners introduce the album, Uprising’s Off has an aggressive punk sneer, a pounding, tom-heavy drum line, and what you could almost call a chorus, if it wasn’t condemning the production line nature of employment. I’m Inbred is another short, sharp burst of rockabilly rage, this time assisted by the brothers Corbett from SixFtHick. In fact, their caterwaul screams may be the highlight of the album, without belittling the efforts of The Nation Blue. So, our internal selves are just as messed up as external factors. Super Duper.

 ***½

MITCH ALEXANDER