Plea For Peace/Take Action CD

A lively collection of tunes from a bunch of lesser-known bands and a few more famous ones, Plea for Peace Take Action gives five percent of its royalties to the National Hopeline Network, a 24-hour, confidential helpline for people in need of someone to talk to about issues such as child abuse, depression, drug addiction, and suicide. A lot of the bands involved are political and sing about social issues in general. Musically, it's not all straight-up punk rock. There's some ska, an acoustic number, a couple of indie rock bands and some emo wanking, which keeps the record from becoming monotonous. Among the best numbers is Bratmobile's "Gimme Brains," a feisty tune with handclaps and some bouncy percussion which lives up to the band's name. Also, the (International) Noise Conspiracy deliver one of their better tunes, "Abolish Work," and Selby Tigers include a new, infectious song called "Snowball." Mike Park from the the Bruce Lee Band has a fine acoustic number about his family called "Can You Get Me Out of Here," and the original lineup of TSOL has a new song, "Sold," which they sneer in the same way as their classic tunes. There's also the nerdy, synth, one-man act Atom and His Package, some pseudo-Irish drunkenness from the Swingin' Utters, girl pop-punk from the Eyeliners, and the screaming and whooping of At the Drive-In. This compilation is a good taste of what's happening in the punk and indie scene, especially for those who are unaware of most of these bands. ~ Adam Bregman

A.F.I.,Alkaline Trio,At The Drive In,Ataris,Tsol,Seam

Producers include: Tim Green, Joey Cape.

Audio Mixer: Tim Green.

Recording information: Atlas Studios, Chicago, IL; Louder Studios, SF; Pachyderm; Rosewood Studios; Showplace Theater, Buffalo, NY.CMJ (11-12/01, p.84) - "...good therapy..."