The Lost Patrol - Songs About Running Away

So, Refused. The pen-ultimate late 90’s/early 2000 hardcore band. Redefined the genre, made it exciting, and stirred up a lot of dust. In their wake, several bands tried to mimic them, and several arose from the ashes and members of said band. These include Text (who I’ve never heard) and The (International) Noise Conspiracy, who are just not really my thing and annoy the hell out of me. So with great trepidation I first downloaded the song No New Manifesto from Epitaph.com and gave it a whirl. What I got was a beautiful song that sold an entire album for me. So the day or so after this CD came out, I bought it via my favorite online music store and sat down to listen. I was, in short, exceptionally pleased. This isn’t Refused, Text, or T(i)NC. Hell, this isn’t punk, hardcore, emo, or anything. The closest a genre-whore could come to classifying this as would be “indie rock”, but it’s not pretentious enough. There is a strong 1960’s-70’s singer/songwriter vibe underlying this whole album. This is easy listening rock and roll that is a nice trip down relaxation lane, which is fine with me. The songs are crafted with precision and emotion, but nothing is overwrought. The percussion is inventive and interesting, with moving rhythms, making use of all parts of the drum set, keeping the songs moving. The occasional oboe is nothing short of soothing and beautiful. Dennis’s voice is not the same one that once asked “Can I scream?” at the top of it’s lungs. Rather, it is smooth and soulful, with great backing vocals, sharing the time with a woman (Lisa Miskovsky, I believe), and damn if it isn’t great. The songs are all situational, similar to the aforementioned singer/songwriters of yore, as opposed to the politically charged lyrics of Refused. It all fuses together into a beautiful testament to a wonderful musician. I would recommend this first and foremost to people who aren’t fans of Refused, but rather to those who are fans of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, James Taylor, John Lennon, Joe Cocker, and the like. If you want to hear something completely different from a familiar voice, pick this up. It is well worth the money.