The No W.T.O Combo celebrate and further the protests that took place against the World Trade Organization in Seattle during late November of 1999. Recorded live at a show amidst the protests' aftermath, he Combo brings elder punk statesman
Jello Biafra together with Kim Thayil, Krist Novoselic, and Gina Mainwal. Two new Biafra-penned punk burners, the
Dead Kennedys classic "Let's Lynch the Landlord," a Biafra spoken-word piece, and the
DOA/Biafra jam "Full Metal Jackoff" comprise the set's material. The recording is musically noteworthy due to the musicians' obvious passion, not to mention that Thayil sounds like an unholy cross between
Greg Ginn and
East Bay Ray. Most interesting, though, is Biafra's subject matter -- worker rights, NAFTA, downsizing, and the WTO -- and excellent liner notes from Biafra and Novoselic summing up the demonstrations and issues at hand. At the least,
Live From the Battle in Seattle is an important historical document; leave it to Biafra to show that rock and social protest don't have to be mutually exclusive, even in the year 2000. ~ Matthew Kantor