D.I.Y. superstars
Dispatch have made a name for themselves by embodying the punk aesthetic of doing it yourself without corporate intervention, even though their music owes nothing to the sound of punk itself. In fact, given the songs on
Who Are We Living For?, a more ideal audience for their funk/world/jazz/R&B/rap-tinged rock & roll is graduated
Dave Matthews Band listeners: people who enjoy that band's eclecticism but have been turned off by their degree of media saturation. Lyrically, most of
Who Are We Living For? is rife with social commentary, addressing leftist social issues that run the gamut from homelessness, violence, and justice. It's not surprising from a band that was arrested in 2000 for protesting the Boston presidential debates because of the exclusion of Ralph Nader. The end result sounds like a more politicized, eclectic
311, and even if many of the songs are ultimately undistinguished,
Who Are We Living For? is an album made by and for the collegiate rock crowd. ~ Jason Damas