Reviews | June 2009 | Detournement "Screaming Response" 7"

Those of you who visit the site from time to time probably know that one of my all time favorite bands were The Ratchets from New Jersey. When the band announced their hiatus, just weeks after drafting Scott Golley of Lifetime, I was bummed to say the least. However, after hearing just a couple of songs from Zak and Dan's new band Detournement on Issue Oriented, I realised that this new band is pretty damn good as well. In fact they're just as awesome as The Ratchets were. Worth mentioning is that the band is also featuring members of Bigwig and Ensign.
Detournement has a more agressive, straight up approach in their songs where The Ratchets, in my opinion, had a more laid-back groove going on. The rougher sounds can be heard in the brilliant "Focus, Explosion!" which is the first track off of the debut entitled "Screaming Response", a record that is as energetic as it is politically charged. Lyrically these eight songs cover a number of social difficulcies, war and injustice. The song called "No Estan Solos" for example, is about the exploitation of the indigenous people of Chiapas, Mexico. The distorted vocals increases the melancholic vibe of the song and creates an almost haunting feeling. Along with the fast-forward "Stranglehold USA" the song is my favorite one off of the 7". But honestly, all of these songs are really, really good. Check this record out!!

Record nerd points:
Unique printed and case-wrapped sandpaper jacket, colored vinyl, and 12 page booklet. Available in three different versions (yellow, grey & black).