Here, Under Protest

As someone who has been a fan since the Scared 10" I feel somewhat qualified to throw an opinion in the ring about the Utters' latest disc. And one thing I will not do is heap mindless praise on this just because they've been around forever. There are plenty of awful bands that don't know when to quit. The Utters are not an awful band, and I'm glad they're sticking around. BUT this is NOT Streets Of SF, this is NOT Juvenile Product, and this is NOT Dead Flowers. My opinion is they pretty much perfected their "Fat sound" with Dead Flowers, so mining that territory again would be treading old ground. As would driving the pace and cranking the amps in an attempt to relive Streets Of SF, which they don't do here either (thankfully.) What's going on here is still the same confrontation of life that they've always done so well, just a little further down the road.The first thing I noticed on this album was the almost jangly guitar and comparitively sparse instrumentation. The halcyon Fat years were great, and part of it was the thick, multi-tracked, crunching guitars and blown-out backbeats that propelled almost every song (except the ones for girls) that created very little space in any given song. Contrast that to where they are now, with a downright Johnny Marr-esque jangly guitar lead and less suffocating noise. There is a stark contemplation here that exists without the gut-busting gusto of times-past. This means that some will be sad at the lack of fist-pumping anthems or hopalong pogo-punk. And if you're looking for uber-catchy, the opener (Brand New Lungs) is about as hooky as it gets here. The poetic "what to do with this life" attitude remains, but it's shifted down the line a bit. It's not about teenage rage, or the melody of being twentysomething, because these guys are now fortysomethings. So there's a bit of "resigned to my fate" going on here which explains the wistful point-of-view going on. Kinda pointless to rage, no need to sugarcoat it, just tell it like it is and how you've found this place where you're at. Even the album title is indicative of the reluctant mood ("here under protest.") The punk-rock has dwindled decidedly in favor of just rock. None of us should really say we're surprised, and it's preferable to descending into Rolling Stones style self-parody at this stage.The Utters have done their thing. They aren't gonna stop playing Teenage Genocide, and they aren't gonna stop playing Windspitting Punk, but they are going to weave these songs in as a nice coda to kinda sum it all up and see how things shook out. I may be wistful myself for the days when they outdid themselves with every buzzsaw release, but I like to think I'm mature enough to enjoy where they go from here. Giving a little insight and looking inside to see how we all got here, and how it's all turned out.

I'd lost my copy of this cd so had to order another one. It's a requirement to have a tangible actual cd (as opposed to mp3 download) for those albums and bands that I LOVE and listen to over and over again. One of my favorite Swinging Utters albums and just classic, good punk.

I bought this as a gift, and it arrived in perfect condition and the recipient loved it!

Just downloaded and gave it a listen and I must say It is an awesome Utters album. The overall sound reminds me a lot of the Utters late 90's material minus the folksy stuff. Yes there is only one folk song on this album, a little disappointing but hopefully the FTB will be putting out a new album soon. If your thinking about buying this, do it! Its another Swingin Utters gem. May be their best yet

Same old band but this one sounds like they are moving and starting to try new things, which leads to the Poorly Formed cd. Still a good buy if you love SU..

A favorite!

The Swingin' Utters have done it again! Here, Under Protest definitely ranks among their best albums! Thanks Johnny and the boys for this great album!! Can't wait to see you guys live again!

Sehr gute Platte die man rauf und runter hören kann.Für alles fans des Punks ist es ein muss. Daher:KAUFEN!

このアルバムは今までで一番かもしれない。従来のアッタース節はキープしつつも、元ワン・マン・アーミーのジャック・ダリンプル加入でさらに表情豊かなアルバムとなった。Kick it Over　今までこんなクールな曲アッタースか？　まさにチナベスキーさんのいうとおりだよ！　素晴らしい。俺達パンク狂ガイにとってながく愛聴盤になるだろう。

アッターズが帰ってきたぜー!!!相変わらずのアッターズ節で思わず顔がほころんだよ〜しかも最後の曲でONE MAN ARMYのジャックが歌ってるんだよ〜このアルバムを聴いてとても幸せな気持ちになっているのは決してオレだけじゃないはずだ!!!