The Geeks: Korean straight edge hardcore with a youth crew twist. I know what you're thinking; the first time I heard it I didn't believe it either. After hearing mention of The Geeks, my first inclination was to write them off as a novelty band. But then I heard The Geeks' debut 7" What's Inside and I knew they were for real. Two years later now, the band returns with their debut full-length Every Time We Fall, twelve tracks of positive hardcore done right.
Every Time We Fall starts things off with "Open Your Eyes" and immediately it as though you have been transported back in time to when bands like Youth of Today, Insted, and Side By Side ruled the scene. The Geeks deliver fast-paced and aggressive hardcore, but with a melodic tone and those oh-so-stereotypical youth crew vocals.
The Geeks blaze threw song after song of hardcore punk - no beefed up metal riffs here - that usually clock it below the minute and a half mark. Each song is comprised of the well-skilled guitar duo of Jun-sung Kang and Jun-chul Lee. Over the course of the twelve songs they demonstrate their dexterity and ferocity. Im-young Choi's matches the intensity equally. And what of Bong-kyu Jung's bass playing? Well, it is actually noticeable in the mix, which is a nice change of pace for a hardcore band.
Lyrically, vocalist Ki primarily concerns himself with the topic of overcoming adversity. "Let it Fade" is one of my favorites, "I haven't lost / You just can't see what I see / Try to blame it on me? / But it can't get in the fucking way / I won't let it fade," which is promptly followed by gang-vocals chanting the title over and over. "Pushed Aside" is another favorite of mine, "You keep talking your shit but I don't give a fuck / I've been pushed aside but you will be soon out of luck / I won't listen to your lies and won't change the way I live / I've got nothing in return. I will just walk away." On an interesting lyrical note, the song "As We Speak" is actually sung entirely in Korean (save for the last verse). You've got to admire a band conveying their thoughts and feelings so well in their second language when so many bands here in the U.S. can't write good lyrics in their only language.
Where Every Time We Fall loses points is that the music is lacking in originality. The sound is deeply rooted in the '88 era of hardcore, so it's been done before. However, to The Geeks' credit, they do it particularly well. The only other gripe I have with these songs is that they tend to run by really quickly. The solution here is simple: just push play once the CD has finished spinning.
At the end of the day, The Geeks and their debut full-length Every Time We Fall are much more than a novelty affair. The album is filled with superb music and heartfelt lyrical content. If you're lucky enough to see The Geeks live, be prepared to stagedive your ass off and scream your lungs out.
