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EP Review: The Junk – Novus Ordo Seclorum

By Ioannis Pelegrinis ⋅ November 14, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment ⋅ Band Tag(s) The Junk

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If my limited knowledge of Latin hasn’t failed me, the EP title means ‘New Order Of Ages’, a phrase commonly found on the pyramid seal on the dollar bill. If you are the sort of person who likes to think that there is a Jewish/Masonic/Lizardman (delete as appropriate) conspiracy, you can misinterpret it as much as you want. Aside from the Dan Brown world of intrigue though, the phrase is heavily loaded with meaning, most of it having to do with the banking system in relation to personal freedoms. These are the sort of concepts and ideas than any good punk record uses as a springboard.

The Junk (which is sometimes written as theJUNK) are of a dying breed of band, namely a ska/punk band with a three-piece horn section that harkens back to the days of Lightyear, The Filaments and Adequate Seven. Maybe you don’t remember when ska/punk meant happy, bouncy songs with thought-provoking lyrics, but it was a pretty good time. I mean sure, more often than anyone would be willing to admit, it might have been a case of preaching to the converted, but in an age when pop music is becoming increasingly superficial and a conveyor of a set of ideals based on apathy and consumption, these sort of messages become more relevant than ever. This Brighton seven-piece seem to have mastered their craft and had me singing along and tapping my foot in the comfort of my bedroom by the first chorus. Their scene’s ranks might have thinned a bit over the years, but the few who have persevered have kept the standards as high as ever.

The Junk’s sound is an uncomplicated mix of the sort of riotous poppy punk/hardcore a la Strike Anywhere with the third-wave ska flavour of bands such as Less Than Jake and Reel Big Fish. Although not as bleak and self-destructive as the Crack Rock Steady sound that was popularised around the same time, The Junk are fired up by the very same struggle for freedom, equality and sense of justice. At only three tracks long, this EP is basically filler-free and 100% prime-time ‘let’s get up and fuck some shit up’ punky ska. I had a hard trouble figuring out which song was my favourite and it would have to be EP-closer Far From Here. Bands like The Junk are the kind that get people to become more involved with something like punk or DIY culture. I expect their live shows to be populated by the international brotherhood and sisterhood of stoked-as-fuck sweaty dancers. This EP has most definitely whet my appetite for a full-length.

Score:
FIVE