I can't remember when I first came across the Menzingers, but I do remember it was someone on the Against Me! Forum who turned me onto them and I started with their EP Hold On, Dodge. Now, I'm not one of those people who enjoys listening to records that sound like crap, so the first thing I noticed about Hold On, Dodge was that the mix is horrible but I kept with it and I was really glad I did because the strength of the songs made up for the lack of audio excellence and now I barely even notice (or care) about the way the EP sounds. Hold On, Dodge made it onto a lot of End of Year lists last year so the pressure was on for the Menzingers to deliver what was one of the most hotly anticipated punk rock records of 2010. Recorded at Atlas Studios in Chicago with punk rock uber-producer Matt Allison and using the Lawrence Arms' gear, Chamberlain Waits is everything that we hoped for and a little bit more.
Opening up with 'Who's Your Partner', you knew on first listen that you were in for something special. The solid gold hooks that we all came to expect are there and thankfully I can have no complaints about Allison's production. If anything has changed over the Menzingers' short career it's that their lyrics have started to sound world weary. The lyrics on songs like 'Home Outgrown' and the album's standout cut 'Timetables' see the band's dual vocalled frontmen Greg Barnett and Tom May in reflective mood, looking back at a past that they find no longer seems to fit them quite like it did when it was the present. As well as vocal duties, Barnett and May handle the six strings for the band and they really excell on Chamberlain Waits. One of the first things you'll notice is that, much like NOFX, the guitarists are constantly playing seperate lines, alternating brilliantly between lead and rhythm work. If you stripped away the lead lines to leave just chords, the songs would still stick in your head but the riffs really help to cement them in position and ensure that every song feels like an old favourite but remain fresh. Pop punk hasn't sounded this infectious since the Descendents released Eveything Sucks, way back in 1996. 'Male Call', the album's midway point is a nice change of pace. Coming across like the Yankee love child of Billy Bragg, it is a lament for the fate of a girl that May cannot help, no matter how much he might want to:
I'd buy your soul but I can't afford to pay girl, They say that you get nothing for free. Your lipstick adorns my collar, While these thoughts of fire wrestle with me.
One of the great things about this record is that it has no weak period. Clocking in at around half an hour, if there was a poor song on this collection it could really derail things but there just isn't one, no matter how hard you look to find fault, you can't. It makes for an engaging listen, and even after 20-odd plays (thanks itunes), I have to listen to it all back to back. Sure, taken apart all the songs stand up individually but together, the sum of their parts is greater than any single can track can manage. To sum up, the Menzingers have seriously upped the game for any punk rock band out there. Chamberlain Waits ticks all the boxes. Energetic, catchy, and lyrically brilliant. Lyrics are a huge part of my enjoying any record and on Chamberlain Waits, The Menzingers have put themselves up alongside other lyrical geniuses (plural?) like the Larry Arms and AM!. If you haven't heard this record yet, I can only ask why not?! If you're a fan of anything loud, fast and fucking brilliant then do yourself a favour and pick this up. I promise that you won't regret it.
The Official video for 'I Was Born' from the album Chamberlain Waits.
Buy Chamberlain Waits from Amazon
Note: I kind of rushed this entry because I have things to do before I go to work and I don't have as much time as I'd like to write about this record. Sorry, but it is nearly Christmas so... you know, it's a busy time!
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