[Scroll down for a review of The Living End's new album, "Modern ARTillery"]
Australia's The Living End is about to drop its latest assault on the world March 2, marking its return after a three-year hiatus. But its comeback didn't come without a price.
The Melbourne trio began as a cover band before shifting toward a vivacious and incredibly talented punk rockabilly act. TLE had a buzz about that in Australia that eventually inked the band a deal with Reprise Records in 1998.
That buzz then turned into an explosion. TLE's self-titled major label debut went straight to No. 1 in Australia and enjoyed decent mainstream success in the United States. The next few years the band opened for Green Day and mainstaging the Warped Tour in the U.S. while down under it shared a stage with everyone from the likes of Offspring to Australian kings AC/ DC.
In 2000, TLE released its second major label release "Roll On" and continued to enjoy success around the world including a radio hit in the U.S. with the album's title track. "Roll On" saw TLE come into its own with a finer-tweaked, stronger sounding record that shifted away from a raspy and harsh rockabilly sound to a beautiful blend of rockabilly, punk and rock. Both records went multi-platinum in Australia and sold well enough around the world to keep TLE constantly on the road.
But in September of 2001, the Living End's momentum came to a screeching halt. A head-on collision on an Australian highway left singer-guitarist Chris Cheney with two broken femurs and placed the band on hiatus.
"Typical of me," Cheney said, laughing. "If I'm going to get in an accident, it's going to be really bad. Though at the time it was no laughing matter."
Through months of intensive rehabilitation. Cheney was faced with the daunting task of learning to walk all over again.
"You don't really remember learning (to walk) the first time in your life," Cheney said, "and if I didn't learn correctly I could have ended up with a permanent limp."
In hindsight, Cheney says the accident gave the band a well-deserved break.
"We were touring all the time until then," he said. "It was the break we kind of needed."
This downtime also gave Cheney, the band's primary songwriter, the chance to buckle down with his four-track and write, what he feels, were more interesting, better-flowing songs. This was the birth of "Modern ARTillery," which shows the band's resilience of style.
"We like to show different sides of the band," Cheney explained. "I can sit down and listen to old Green Day and then put on Glen Campbell. I have always been into other styles of music like jazz too."
Cheney believes this is their best record yet.
"This is stronger, more consistent and easier to listen to," he said.
Cheney said he took a different approach to the lyrics on the new record, specifically reflecting on his comeback from the accident, and the "rise above this" mentality.
"There is more of a feel good, underdog feel to the lyrics," Cheney said. "The human spirit is an incredible thing."
"Modern ARTillery" is already getting mixed reviews. But Cheney says the band received the best compliment they could have asked for.
"People have told us, 'The record sounds like YOU,'" Cheney said, "and that's good to hear."
Cheney said TLE has big plans for taking American mainstream by storm within the year. The Living End is currently on tour with fellow Aussies The Vines and Jet for much of the spring (including a show at the 9:30 club on March 15) before joining Blink-182 and No Doubt for the summer.
The Living End "Modern ARTillery" (Reprise) Rock
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This new disc from TLE picks up where its previous album "Roll On" left off and is the next logical progression. These songs not only solidify the band's sound but also spotlight the band's strong points: Chris Cheney's vocals and his matchless guitar skills. "Modern ARTillery" offers a solid blend of all the band's developing styles and a natural progression into a sound all its own. This blend consists of rock, punk, rockabilly, country and pop to create a heavy hitter for these Aussies. Stronger tracks include "Maitland Street," "Tabloid Magazine," "Who's Gonna Save Us" and "One Said to the Other." - J.B.
