"When I've had enough of modern life, I go back to my analog ways."
It's a simple quote, yet it captures so much about Radioactivity.
It's been 10 years since the band released Silent Kill, and this time around the Jeff Burke-led group shows clear growth and change, while still capturing the same vibe as the previous two records. In addition to Burke, the band includes Mark Ryan (Marked Men), plus Daniel Fried and Gregory Rutherford (Bad Sports).
While the word on Burke's most famous band, The Marked Men is usually all about their hyperactive pace, Radioactivity takes the same core garage-rock foundation but chills a bit. The tempos on this record vary but it's still melodic, pop-structured rock that wears its heart on its sleeve. My takeaway as I listen to Time Won't Bring Me Down is really that it has a personal tone to it. It feels more reflective and introspective.
"Analog Ways," quoted above, is almost a ballad, with spaced out guitar effects, yet it fits seamlessly alongside the rumbling tone-setting title track -- a song that I'd call the quintessential Radioactivity sound. "Watch Me Bleed" highlights their pop sensibilities, and songs like "One Day" and "Sleep" manage to balance all the different influences: punk, garage, psych, and sweet sweet pop. "Pain" closes it out with a key shift that brings down the mood, ending on a contemplative note. Throughout, there are modest solos and '60s reverby psych elements but it's more like spacey garage rock with some punk undertones if I have to summarize it in genre-speak. "Watch Me Bleed," "I Thought," and "One Day" are some personal favorites among the many.
The album seems to follow a trajectory that starts with action, then consequence, then acceptance -- not tranquility but a sense of finding peace of mind amid turmoil. "I've only learned I have no control," Burke reflects in "Shell," the second to final song. It's a journey with a lesson to look both inward and outward at the world. While I've been a fan of the band since day one, Time Won't Bring Me Down feels like the most complete, from an album perspective. While I love The Marked Men's output, I do feel like their records have one sound where all the songs kind of blur together as you listen. Radioactivity offers a welcome expansion to that sound, while developing its own identity.
