You kind of know what you’re getting into when a band’s name (and their record title) are both derived from a Howard Zinn quote. You know that it is either going to be rooted in a socialist or anarchist ideal. It is definitely going to be on some political shit. It’s interesting to see how a band like Tyranny Is Tyranny will handle it.
A million punk rock bands have tried before them, and the lyrics almost always ready as bland sloganeering. And that is at best. And the music is almost always some bullshit anarcho-punk or hardcore thing. That is what makes Tyranny Is Tyranny so interesting, and what makes Let It Come From Whom It May engaging. They are a band who is political in a broad sense. They aren’t cherry picking hot topic issues. The lyrics go beyond generic “fuck this, fuck that” political punk. But songs like “The American Dream Is A Lie” pretty much explains what the band is on about. It exactly what it says in the title, while also touching on the idea that society is set up to hold back any actual change. Generally through the cycle of work/pacification and exhaustion/political inactivity. It addresses the idea that people in power will always win if you make excuses as to why you don’t fight.
Destruction and exploitation of the majority/working class is touched on in “Always Stockholm, Never Lima.” The message of that song is very blunt, especially with lines like
“On the back of a nation
The few build their wealth
The debased sell themselves
Law arrives by stealth“
Musically, Let It Come From Whom It May is kind of a grab bag of post- genres, with touches of metal and noise. It’s got post-rock influence, but is heavier and more riffed based. Definitely less “cinematic” or whatever in scope than that genre tends to be. More than anything though, it plays as a more post-hardcore type record. It’s more riff based in some places, like on “Manufacturing Truth.” It can get more delicate and melodic in certain places, like on “Owned By Thieves.” The songs range anywhere from around four minutes to damn near eight. Tyranny Is Tyranny is willing to widen the scope of what they do to get their point across.
While the ideas and lyrics can be very on the nose, Tyranny Is Tyranny bring up points that should be considered, especially in a world where political activism often falls by the wayside. Hell, if nothing else, it’s interesting to listen to the record if only for an introduction to certain Socialist ideas. I’d say it is worth your time.
Team Reasonable 