Prog rock and punk rock seem on the surface to be poor bedfellows, especially considering that punk rock formed, in part, as a direct response to the bloated musical excess of the Seventies, when prog rock filled the stadiums. But as Propagandhi have shown with their two previous albums and now on their newest release Failed States, the two can indeed be successfully combined. The bands themselves stated about the new album: “Our goal is always to create a no-holds-barred, forward-thinking, tip-of-the-hat to the giants -- Voivod, Rush, NoMean..." Those influences are certainly present on Failed States, and most audibly in the guitar work, which weaves twisted scale runs through the middle of their straight-ahead punk momentum.
The surprising thing is that even though the prog riffing, which began on 2005's Potemkin City Limits and continued on the 2009 follow-up Supporting Caste, keeps getting more complex and ingrained in Propagandhi's sound, the hardcore intensity has not been toned down a bit. In fact, on Failed States the punk rock fury has been ratcheted way up from previous releases; the songs are on average shorter and more direct, with a distinct 80's hardcore vibe. For a band combining two seemingly disparate styles, Propagandhi don't seem to have any multiple personality issues. The songs don't break from straightforward punk rock to a "prog section." The intent is fully realized and it all comes across as one solid, engaging sound. The guitars are bold and loud on the tracks, the bass is nasty and full, and the drums are up front and crisp, and everything comes together well, especially in the lockstep palm-muting used to great effect on several songs. The band has found a strange versatility in their ability to be punk rock messy and prog rock precise at the same time. They've really reached further with their vocal work, too, with everything from melodic singing to serious screams as heard in the track "Rattan Cane." An obvious highlight though is the song "Cognitive Suicide," which tells you everything you need to know about Propagandhi's intentions on this album all compressed into four great minutes.
Lyrically, Propagandhi are, as usual, hacking away at the shallow ideals that the contemporary world is built upon. They've been pegged as a political band, but that seems to miss the point somewhat. Their songs aren't about concrete political matters as much as they are sociocultural critiques. Democratic politics are only as much of a problem as the people allow it to be, and Propagandhi ultimately seem to be lobbying for a more aware, more educated populace to earn for themselves a better political atmosphere. Whatever their specific goals or messages, Propagandhi can't go wrong by releasing strong, smart albums like Failed States. For extra goodness, listen to their last three albums as a trilogy; it's an excellent crash course on what's gone wrong politically and what's gone right musically in this new century.
