Remove ads, unlock a dark mode theme, and get other perks by upgrading your account. Experience the website the way it's meant to be.

The Living End – Wunderbar

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Melody Bot, Oct 1, 2018.

  1. Melody Bot

    Your friendly little forum bot. Staff Member

    This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

    The Living End return with what is probably their best album in over ten years. It ticks every box it needs to, and then some. This is their first release under the Rise Records banner, and their first time working with producer Tobias Kuhn. Tobias is better known for producing multiple titles for folk/electronic band Milky Chance, so, it’s bit of a gamble to go with a producer who more often than not is embedded in the electronic music landscape. But it paid off handsomely for the men from Melbourne, Australia.

    After the release of Shift, and to a lesser extent the couple of the albums before it, fans had every right to be skeptical upon the release of lead single, “Don’t Lose It.” It had all the right elements fans want in a Living End song, but there was still that nagging feeling in the back of people’s heads that every album has one of these songs, regardless of whether the album is good or not. This was no trap. “Don’t Lose It” was a gateway into what will go down as one of the best albums Chris, Scott, and Andy have released in a very long time. Chris Cheney’s vocal style has been compared to Green Day’s Billie Joe before, and this song does nothing to dissipate that. The song sits as well in The Living End’s arsenal as it would in Green Day’s.

    I never thought an Australian band would pen a song about American politics but “Death of the American Dream” touches on themes such as gun laws, American politics, and world politics as a whole. The song is a tale of two halves with the first half being an upbeat, angry, rockabilly anthem, while the second half being a brooding lo-fi acoustic arrangement.

    I can’t put my finger on what makes “Proton Pill” so great, but it’s hands down my favorite song on the record. There is certain Tony Hawk soundtrack charm to it that tickles me pink and brings out something nostalgic in me.

    Chris sits down with just an electric guitar for much of “Amsterdam” which could become The Living End’s “Lost In Hollywood.” It has that lyrical hook where I can see a crowd of people uniting as one to sing:


    Oh Amsterdam, I don’t who I am, or where I stand, Oh Amsterdam…”

    It’s the type of song that I can see having that uniting power to bring a crowd together in a live show.

    Wunderbar ticks every box it needs to as a Living End album, however, I am ecstatic that this is starting position because I still feel like the band can go to another level. As a band that’s been around for 24 years, they have every right to be comfortable doing what they do, because they regularly sell out shows domestically and internationally. However, I feel like they wouldn’t have signed a contract to a building record label in Rise Records, if they weren’t building something new themselves as well. Wunderbar translates to “wonderful” in German, and that’s just what this album is.

    I can’t wait to see where Chris, Andy, and Scott go from here. The world is at their doorstep.

     
    KidLightning likes this.
  2. Elder Lightning

    A lightning bolt without a cloud in the sky Supporter

    Loving this album. "Not Like the Other Boys" gives me some real Foo Fighters vibes, "Amsterdam" sounds like Ted Leo, and "Wake Up the Vampires" has some cool classic rock vibes, especially in that chorus.

    Overall just really digging the vibe of this whole thing. Easily my favorite of theirs since their self-titled.
     
  3. Former Planets

    Aaaachem!

    This is the only record I’ve loved since Modern Artillery.
     
  4. Good stuff, @Damien Davies
    Will listen to this at some point this week!
     
    Damien Davies and Jason Tate like this.
  5. jeff.dart

    Regular

    That's all I needed to hear. That's one of my favorite rock albums, and nothing I'd heard from them since has ever measured up. Will be buying now.
     
    Jason Tate likes this.
  6. Damien Davies

    Idk Maybe Supporter

    I'm all for constructive criticism too. Haven't written in a while, so definitely a bit rusty.
     
    Jason Tate likes this.
  7. Nap

    Newbie

    I really enjoyed White Noise
    However TEIJTBR and Shift are really boring and uninspired
     
    Steeeve Perry likes this.
  8. Former Planets

    Aaaachem!

    I liked a few songs on Shift and many on White Noise. I forgot Ending... even existed :/
     
  9. Steeeve Perry

    Trusted

    This band has fallen off a lot in the Australian public consciousness. The other day Triple J (national youth/alt station) said a Living End song was coming up and I was excited their new album was getting airtime. Then they played something from the band's 90s output. There is a definite assumption "the kids" do not care about this band but it's good to know they are rewarding the listeners who have stuck with them by upping their game after a lacklustre patch.
     
  10. I kinda dig this record.