Built on an old-school hardcore platform,
the Letters Organize add an element of art- punk to their ferocious debut album
Dead Rhythm Machine. Frontman Brent Jay has a caustic approach that gives blasting material like "Dressed Up in Gatwick" and "They Call It Rock and Roll (And Other Lies)" a frightening and exciting edge. If it's less important what Jay's saying than how he says it, the messages still have value, from the vibrant, violent pressure-cooker ode "There's Room for One More" -- which takes white-collar tensions to task -- to the wry "A Book for Dummies" that takes a cheap but necessary shot at the American way. Complete with urgent, angular riffs, pummeling drumwork, and a relentless, machine-like approach, this Atlanta-based band scorches through a baker's dozen songs that are sure to please fans of abrasive, intense punk like
Vaux,
At the Drive-In,
Refused and
Scatter the Ashes. ~ John D. Luerssen