Now this is just a great, old-fashioned rock album, the kind that seems to be in shorter and shorter supply these days. The obvious equation here (and the one referenced by everyone who reviewed it) is if Bruce Springsteen had Fugazi as a backing band, and while that works on some tracks ("On to You"; "Young Lions") it doesn't entirely work with the punkier stuff, which sounds more like the Wipers. The harder tracks are almost without flaw, fascinating bits of modern guitar-rock that outdo even Les Savy Fav, the most famous current practitioners of that style. Also fantastic here are the two slower tracks--"Goodbye Baby & Amen" and "Sub-Domestic" which are almost John Mellancamp-ian in their simple guitar and harmonica interplay and melodicism. The band never even came close to following this one up, and it's probably not possible to do so: the album takes a fairly limited central conceit and runs about as far as they can with it. One of the decade's great sleepers: almost nobody remembers this one anymore, and it's good to see Pitchfork recognize it.
MY RATING:
8.7
The Constantines - "Shine a Light"
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