Das Kapital

Das Kapital

Denying The West

[4/5] Since American Idiot opened the floodgates for a revival of the 1970s’ second-most-abominable legacy–the concept album–it’s natural to be suspicious of a punk-rock saga set in the early part of the last century, starring a runaway Mormon in thrall to Bolshevism. Remarkably, Das Kapital’s debut album seems to have the detail and restraint of publishable historical fiction. But for those of us who’d rather not indulge this Chicago band’s literary side, the music on Denying The West is an unexpected perk: rock ’n’ roll with influences so classy, fans of the subtler sides of ’80s punk and ’90s alt-country will want to break out the good beer. “Set Adrift Again” makes such a big crash of guitar hooks and roller-rink organ, and “St. Rachael And The Sodomite” so deftly echoes both Naked Raygun and the Buzzcocks, you’ll forget you’re watching PBS.
(JOHANN’S FACE) Andrew Marcus

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