Project 86 – Rival Factions
Posted by RNS Robot on August 31st, 2007
Rival Factions
Project 86
Tooth & Nail Records
Released 06.19.07
10 songs / 34:55
Memo to Project 86 fanboys: _Drawing Black Lines_ was seven years ago.
In other words, no, the fourth P86 release since DBL does NOT contain a bunch of songs that “sound like Stein’s Theme.” They haven’t repeated DBL ever, and they sure as hell haven’t started with _Rival Factions_, which, quite frankly, is the biggest departure for the band yet. Yet the changes feel organic, and if the music is more “rock” than it is “metal,” well, it is still unquestionably Project 86. Just more accessible.
Don’t fear! The phrase “more accessible” for once does not mean “this hard band totally wussed out and the new stuff sucks.” The material on _Rival Factions_ may fit more comfortably into the “rock” pile than it does “metal” but the Project have hardly gone soft. “The Forces Of Radio Have Dropped A Viper Into The Rhythm Section” is, hands down, the most wildly chaotic Project 86 song ever. It also has the longest song title, because it is awesome – almost literally writhing and hissing with manic, abrasive energy.
“Energy” is a good word to attach to the new disc as a whole; a lively, chaotic energy. If _Songs To Burn Your Bridges By_ was defined by a brooding cathartic intensity, _Factions_ is the band post-catharsis: Still with something to say, still ready and willing to skewer pop culture and hypocrisy amongst the religious, but much more comfortable in their own skin. The feeling of, dare I say it, freedom, exudes from every facet of the disc. This is a band loving what they do, clear as day reflected in performances at once spot-on and yet refreshingly loose. Andrew Schwab’s lyrics are not as densely packed with metaphor as they are known to be, but the meta-textual/satirical turn he has taken is wholly engaging. Vocally, he’s all over the map, at times singing like Billy Idol and other times screeching like this is some punk rock. Which is also to say that the songs go from chaotic punk-metal to new-wave, everything laced with overdriven bass and synthesizer. The trick is, for all its moods and tempos and textures, _Rival Factions_ is not an jumbled mess of a disc. It just succeeds in that most difficult of tasks: being diverse.
Project 86 have beaten another killer album into shape. They’ve come a long way from the kids ripping off Rage Against The Machine way back in 1998. Recommended for all rock fans, especially those who like a little (make that a lot) of edge and depth to the rock. Amusingly, die-hard P86 fans might have the hardest time getting into the album. But take my advice, fanboy: Stick _Rival Factions_ in your car cd player and drive really fast. All will be awesome.
Almost as awesome as THIS: http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/3841/751/1600/632815/NickFuryWallCrash.jpg
Tags: 2007 Releases, Andrew Schwab, Project 86, Tooth & Nail Records
My favorite songs are the ones most divergent from anything p86 has tried before – “Molotov” and “Normandy”. I like most of the rest of the album too. I might get skewered for this, but…I think Schwab is a better pop songwriter than anything else. My favorite p86 album is still Truthless Heroes. He can write some amazing hooks. But when he tries to mesh his melodies with the rockier bits, it doesn’t always feel like it works to me. The biggest testament to this being the last album, …and the rest will follow, which I can’t even stand to listen to anymore. Its songwriting just makes me cringe. But things work much better for this album, and I think it’s because the danceable/electronic elements mesh better with the heavily-produced sound than they did with the last album’s style. I definitely think this is the best p86 album in years. I’m a fan again.
Of course the oddity of this is that Schwab is the lyricist and not a musical songwriter. He admits he can’t play anything lol. I don’t think it’s completely a case of “the band brings the songs and Andrew puts lyrics over them” but journal entries and interviews seem to indicate that is part of how they write.
Read the HM interview for this record. This one was written very odd, with Schwab, Torres and Dall writing in different countries. They didn’t even get together to write until they were in the studio. I have to agree that I really enjoy the diversity of this record, including the most “un”-Project sounding songs. “…And The Rest Will Follow” is a good disc but lacking something. IMO it’s too mathematical. It’s creative, and more “melodic” if you will that “Songs To Burn Your Bridges By” but not as captivating and sometimes irritating. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it’s probably their weakest record since their first. There IS a lot of great stuff on “Follow” but -something- takes away from it being amazing.
Still love “Sincerely, Ichabod” though. =D