HANGNAIL
Tooth & Nail

CD Review by Rod Moody

Let's go back to school, shall we? The 1977 version of punk rock was a result of discontented musicians (and wanna-be musicians) that despised the bloated mainstream rock and mindless (but fun!) disco that the seventies barfed up. These leather-jacketed, spikey-haired misfits wanted to take rock and roll back to the streets and they succeeded. The movement sparked interest from major record labels and the majority of the original punk acts who were courted and wooed signed on the dotted line.

Before punk hit a lull around 1985, a grassroots indie-punk movement thrived. Major labels and virtually all other forms of corporate entity (except for Top Ramen and beer companies) were scorned. What defined true punk rock at that time was not the clothes or the hair or even the music, but rather the do-it-yourself attitude that the hardcore scene ushered in. Around 1990, punk was resurrected in a different form, partly due to the bloated mainstream puddle of rock known as grunge. The new punks also had attitude to spare but the music followed a path first cleared by the original Brit school of punks such as the Clash & the Buzzcocks The songs were now chock-full of melody, hooks, and harmonies, and as a result, became marketable. This became the signature sound of Southern California punk revivalists, epitomized by such bands as Green Day, NoFX, Offspring, and Rancid. Some of the new breed welcomed major label contracts, MTV, and Lollapalooza with open arms, making them rich and famous in the process.

Somewhere along the way, a subgenre known as Christian punk emerged, which for the most part, took the recipe for this pop-punk stew and added lyrics that would never be regarded as punk. It could then be argued that Christian punk defines punk rock today -- these faithful soldiers of the Lord, alienated from the mainstream for their beliefs remain true to them. They either start their own labels or find one of the relatively few Christian punk labels to put out their music. Nowadays, Christian punk is beginning to break wide open -- the kids love it, the predominately all-ages shows are packed, and MTV are playing vids by bands like the Supertones and MXPX (who have recently signed to A&M---could this be the beginning of the last supper?).

OK, history lesson is over -- now let's talk about one of the bands that could easily turn out to be the next big Godcore band to garner praise: Hangnail. These Wisconsonians, like most of these Jesus-lovin' outfits, are very young--probably straight outta high school. Zoom to the album credits: The first thank you is to "God (my boy)", while the second goes out to all of the members' parents ("Thanks for the van Mr. Middleton"; "Thanks for putting up with all of the noise Mr. & Mrs. Dosemagens"). Aren't they such nice young men, Ward? They sure are, June!

The band's basic sound couldn't be more generic. All of the Southern Cali staples are there - the catchy choruses, the enormous harmony vocals, the careful, precise dynamics, the sudden stops and the jolting starts, the tempo that shifts into warp speed, the ultra-clean-but-yet-distorted sound of shiny new Marshalls...you know the story. Hangnail's saving grace is the excellent metal-tinged guitar work of Nick Radovanovic ("thanks for buying Nicky a guitar, Mr. & Mrs. Radovanovic!") and Matt Wendt and the fact that the band is impressively tight. However, their primary focus is that tightness and how many tempo changes they can fit onto one song, rather than striving for any sort of original voice . But hey, that's the sound of punk rock 2000, so let 'em be imitators instead of innovators--they'll probably make a lot more money.

The lyrics are a hoot. I'll cut 'em some slack because they're young-uns, but next time, they should leave them off the insert. Having faith in God is one thing, but believing that you are unable to make a single decision without consulting the big guy is quite another. These guys sound like they have spent their lives asking "What Would Jesus Do?" Take the song "Helpless On My Own" -- first read the title again and then check this little nibble: "Without your mercy I am nothing, humble me and help me understand." Or "Decision Making": "Look at me, I am trying as hard as can be to be the person that my sovereign maker wants me to be. Decision making is not my own." The one that really killed me was the reflective

"Where Did The Time Go": "I remember dreams we used to dream....and now the time has passed us by...now all my friends are growing up...I hadn't planned on that." For Christ's sake (sorry), these kids are only maybe 20!! I would have liked to commend Hangnail for using restraint in the preaching department, which they do for the most part, but the anti-abortion rant "No Name Yet" aborted that thought fairly quickly. For what it is, Hangnail's debut is a decent enough album, and they are excellent musicians for their age. As they mature, I only hope that they are able to expand their musical territories and personal philosophies. Then they might have a shot at being contenders.

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