Album Details

• Artist: Capital
• Album: Givers Takers
• Label: Underground Communique Records
• Year of Release: 2011
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: archelon on 2011-03-09

Capital's record production trajectory has always been fairly set in stone - better each time, better and better, and Givers Takers just keeps trucking on. Unreserved and raw - what my little goddaughter calls "heartbeat music", and that's a pretty damn good summing up. With more and more bands jumping on the fast-emo bandwagon, real political and melodic hardcore is harder and harder to find.

Anyone thinking of having a crack at it wouldn't do badly using Givers Takers as a reference point. Three records into their professional music careers, Capital's production is perfectly balanced, everything is just at the right level, every little percussive knock and string scrape is audible. Despite this it never feels like a 'produced' record - they manage to make you feel like they could've knocked this out damn well anywhere. Well, you might notice that if you can stop jumping around and headbanging for long enough to actually reason with the music.

The lyrics, in true Corrigan fashion are a hail to the reason punk music was invented: lost generations finding a voice of protest. He spits every loaded word like an angry Cobra snake. "In the end we will all be cold and grey", he howls. Not optimistic, but let's face it, that's not why any of us are here. Musically, the whole thing flits skittishly between sounds like a squirrel with ADHD - anything you've heard Capital do before, it's probably in here, but it's nonetheless cohesive, engaging and so bloody ANGRY. If you don't have rock neck by the end of the album you should stop listening to punk.

This is a perfectly-timed soundtrack for the post-recession lost generation - twenty-something graduates carrying a huge burden of social and financial debt they did nothing to accrue. It makes you feel that revolution is necessary, and revolution is here.

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