The Republican National Convention is busy throwing its Republican hootenanny only few scant miles from my apartment. If I was more politically minded I should be down with the other protesters waving signs and shouting slogans against/for what we want changed in the White House in the next four years. Or maybe I should grab my handkerchief, tie it across my face, dress in all black and smash a window of Macy's and call myself an Anarchist. We all know that smashing a window of a department store is almost the same as smashing that state.
The problem with all that is that I'm not politically minded. Sure I vote at all the major elections but you aren't going see me tossing piss balloons onto hapless old dudes in suits to get my point across. I find protesting as useful as teats on a bull. I don't see how screaming at top of your lungs will ever get your point across. I always figured if I vote for the person that lies to me the least then I got what I paid for. I could care less what sex you are, what color your skin is, what god you believe in, or that your daughter is going to have her prom dress re-measured in nine months. If you are going to represent me; do something, do it somewhat respectable or get off the stage.
I bring up my political alignment, or the lack there of, is being Austria's Astpai is a political hardcore punk band that have their issues, platforms, and grievances all laid out for you in eleven tracks of angst filled crunchy yet melodic hardcore. Astpai's Myspace mentions how much they sound like Kid Dynamite, but I'm going to take that comparison a bit further and drop the underrated Breathe In as an influence. However, that's mostly in the screamed gruff vocals. Otherwise, Astpai sounds like your fifth generation Strike Anywhere or maybe a poor man's Thrice before they became Earth Wind and Fire. Astpai score some major review points by sounding like None More Black, especially in the last song "Visibilify!"
The songs on Corruption Concealed Under Deceptive Slogans are catchy enough to have my head bobbing but there's nothing special about Astpai. Astpai speaks for PETA and against racism, which is all well and good, but they dropped a few points with me in the song "This is a Declaration of War
" I hate it when a band has to mention being part of a "male-dominated scene." Like it's my penis's fault it's attached to me and I happen to like hardcore more than anyone with a vagina. I could really go on and on about this
but whatever, you lost points Astpai. Next time don't use hackneyed unsolvable problems as a lyrical basis.
If you've heard any of the bands mentioned above then you've heard Astpai. However, there is an audience for this and it's an audience I've been know to sing along with. Astpai have their hearts in the right place, even though it's collectively shown on the sleeves. Corruption Concealed Under Deceptive Slogans didn't exactly make want to go down to the Excel Civic Center and start flag burning, nevertheless, it's always good to hear bands that have something to say.
