With their latest release, the American Police State EP, War Poets seem to have really taken those
early criticisms to heart and have really worked at filtering their vision into
a much more accessible space, in this case five solid songs of pop-rock
intensity. The powerful lyrics and messages are there, this time finding the
band tackling issues like income inequality, Native American rights, and gun
violence as is the strong musicianship, these arrangements continuing in line
with their signature sound that’s earned them comparisons to Fleetwod Mac and
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Things get off to a rocking start with “Better
Place,” Rex Haberman taking lead vocals right off which he holds throughout the
whole of the EP, as a thoughtful rhythm presses the song along while he sings, “I
look to my left/I look to my right/I close my eyes and see a better place/Take
me there, baby/To a better place/It doesn’t matter/I don’t know the way.” Rolls
of rich electric guitar fills lend bonus emotion as do Jenny Case’s soulful
backing vocals, leading into the staccato rock of “Closing In.” Haberman seems
to chew off the lyrics, raging guitars roaring around him, even mimicking a
siren of sorts as he tells a tale of forced insanity and of those forced to a
place of self-medication in order to simply get through the day. The frenetic
arrangement is rocking and serves the song’s lyric well.
“8:05 On a Saturday Night” is a surprising track,
opening things up with a mid-tempo jam, fueled with a swelling horn section and
a killer groove that eventually flows into a spoken word/hip hop flow that
closes out the track, ending things on a note that carries the song to the next
level. It also deals with the topic of gun violence, which Haberman and company
are passionate about, sharing, “What is a gun really for? It’s for killing
people. I realize I have strong opinions on gun violence, but we’re musicians,
not politicians. We put our views out there by singing so people can think
about this.”
The next track asks a poignant question, “Where Has
Love Gone?,” bridging into multiple issues while a rocking arrangement carries
things forth. It’s a solid message that is buoyed by a great guitar and
saxophone solo, showing some strong musicianship that undergirds the lyric
while “Red Lake” closes out the record with more simmering angst and rock although
it’s the least successful of the bunch, the lyric a bit too wordy throughout,
losing its overall punch.
With American
Police State, War Poets continue to beat their drums of protest and outrage
but do so in a way that is much more concentrated and controlled than with
previous efforts. The result is a more consistent set of tracks that are much
more accessible which serves both the listener and the message equally well and
that leaves one wishing for just a bit more, which is a good thing.
