Album Review: Rock Against Bush (Vol 2)

It’s time for some punk fellow Otaku & Metalheads!....again!

Last week I looked at the first Rock Against Bush compilation release, and while I wasn’t a massive fan of it, I still managed to definitely get some enjoyment out of listening to it. However, now we’re at the 2nd volume in this little series. Does it have as much strength & attitude behind it as much as the first one did? Well, let’s not waste anymore time, and take a loot at my review of Rock Against Bush: Vol 2. Let’s begin!

Background
See Rock Against Bush: Vol 1 review, but the two differences here are that Vol. 2 was released in August of 2004 & there is no DVD.

Basic Description
More Of The Same.

Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing all depends of what you thought of the first Rock Against Bush, and what you think of Punk by extension. If you like the first R.A.B. & Punk Rock, then you’re gonna love this. However, if you aren’t a fan of either, then you’re gonna hate this! For me? I’m kind of in this weird middle ground: I’m certainly not a big fan of Rock Against Bush 2, but I don’t hate it by any means. Much like the first R.A.B., I’m a mild fan of this release, but it’s not an album I’d reach from my collection right away when I’m in the mood for tunes.

Best Track
I’m not at all surprised that Green Day showed up on here, considering how massively popular they were in 2004 thanks to the Punk monolith that was American Idiot, and Favorite Son is what they brought to the table. Curiously, this track was actually the bonus song off of the Japanese Edition, and it’s a weird choice for such a bonus simply due to it’s play time. 2 minutes & 8 seconds to be exact. Despite the short amount of time, it’s actually a nice little song that doesn’t overstay it’s welcome, and fits the American Idiot form quite well.

Favorite Son

Worst Track
See my review of Rock Against Bush: Vol 1 for details.

Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below (1 song is missing):

Rock Against Bush: Vol 2

Overall Impression & Rating
Rock Against Bush: Vol 2 is a lot like the first one, in that it’s a product of it’s time. The songs on this CD feel fundamentally the same as what was on the first R.A.B., but the message is just as clear on this 2nd go, if not possibly stronger. If you liked the first Rock Against Bush, then this will be up your alley. Guaranteed!

Rock Against Bush: Vol 2 gets a 7.5 out of 10.

And that was my look at the second Rock Against Bush album. Sure, the spawn of H.W. hasn’t been in power nearly 2 decades at the point, but sometimes it’s nice to look at a clown rather than a lunatic. Well, I’ve had my fill of politics this month, so join me in February for some more light-hearted material, and a new experiment of mine I hope you’ll all enjoy. See you soon!



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If you didn’t read my 1st review, then click on the link below:

Album Review: Rock Against Bush (Vol 1)

Album Review: Rock Against Bush (Vol 1)

It’s time for some Punk fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

In the near decade since I made this blog, I don’t think on any review I ever listened to something that was full-blown Punk. I’ll fully confess that I’ve never been the biggest fan of the genre, save for a few songs from The Ramones & a couple other tunes I can’t think of at the moment. If there was one think I’ll give the music style credit is that it always ticked off people in power. Didn’t matter who you were, Punk always made sure to bring those that were higher up the food chain a little more down to our level. So, with my look back at January 6th from earlier this month, it seemed only right to finally give Punk an examination, and one of the weirdest releases I ever heard of was a natural choice. So, let’s take a trip back through time to 20-something years ago, and look at my review of Rock Against Bush: Vol 1. Let’s begin!

Background
Before we get into the specifics of Rock Against Bush, we first gotta look at the company that released it in the first place. As stated by Wikipedia:

“Fat Wreck Chords (pronounced "Fat Records") is a San Francisco, California-based independent record label, focused on punk rock. It was started by NOFX lead singer Michael Burkett (better known as Fat Mike), and his wife at the time, Erin Burkett in 1990.

Fat Wreck Chords has released over 300 studio albums to date.

Fat Mike started his record label Wassail records in 1987. He put out two NOFX records, The PMRC 7” and Liberal Animation in 1988. In 1990, he and his wife Erin Burkett co-founded Fat Wreck Chords, and rereleased NOFX's 1987 EP, The P.M.R.C Can Suck on This. In 1992, Fat Mike went on to produce Lagwagon, Propagandhi, and No Use for a Name. In 1993, the label released records by Rancid, Face to Face, and Strung Out. Fat Mike & Erin continue to run the label together and remain 100% independent.

The label grew during the 1990s selling over a million records per year. It had eighteen employees and four offices.

A documentary about Fat Wreck Chords called 'A Fat Wreck' was released on October 25, 2016.

The label has had two subsidiaries over the years, Honest Don's and Pink and Black. Honest Don's released records from Chixdiggit and Teen Idols amongst others, while Pink & Black released albums from female-fronted bands like Fabulous Disaster and Dance Hall Crashers.

Fat Mike also advanced $50,000 to Chris Hannah and Jord Samolesky of Propagandhi which he recouped within months from sales of Propagandhi records to help them start up their own label, G7 Welcoming Committee, though G7WC is independent from Fat Wreck.”

As for the compilation itself, it’s essentially a collection of released & unreleased songs by various Punk Rock artists. It also happens to include a bonus DVD with political facts, commentary regarding the U.S. presidential election in 2004, footage from a David Cross stand-up comedy performance, as well as some music videos. Rock Against Bush was released on the 20th of April, 2004.

Basic Description
Early 2000s Punk Rock time capsule.

The fact that this is almost 20 years old makes my bones hurt. Old feelings aside, it’s actually a really good collection of Punk Rock! Not only are there popular/legendary bands from the genre on here, but some more lesser-known groups as well (And 1 metal artist weirdly enough, but I’ll get to that in a moment). Regardless of popularity, the one thing that unites all these Punks together is the criticisms they have for the first Bush administration, as well as the Republican politics of the time. Where as I think 90% of anti-Trump media has aged poorly, fundamentally every piece of anti-Bush media has aged surprisingly well, and Rock Against Bush definitely stands out.

Best Track
In a bizarre choice, I gotta give it to Ministry’s track No W off of their Houses of the Molé record. Though it definitely has that Punk attitude that’s all over this CD, it’s far more within the Industrial Metal zone the band was known for, but it does mark the beginning of Uncle Al & the gang experimenting with Thrash Metal as well (And embracing it for future records). All 3 styles actually come together really well on this song, with none of them ever overpowering the other. Definitely the highlight of this release.

No W

Worst Track
While I don’t think there’s a bad song on here, my only gripe is that I’m just not a Punk person. Like I said at the start of this review, I’m not a fan of the style outside of some Ramones tunes & a few other songs who’s names I can’t think of as I’m typing this. That’s it!

Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below (1 song is missing):

Rock Against Bush: Vol 1

Overall Impression & Rating
Rock Against Bush: Vol 1 is a product of it’s time. My feelings put aside, it manages to capture what the first Bush Jr. presidency was like surprisingly well, and also shows off what the Punk scene was like back then. I’m not sure if I’ll ever listen to it again, but I’m glad I was able to rock out against little Bush.

Rock Against Bush: Vol 1 gets a 8 out of 10.

And that was my review of the first Rock Against Bush compilation. The genre may not be my taste, but I can respect it quite a bit, and recognize it’s place in music history. Not only that, but it’s ability to reflect the time it’s in surprises me, so there’s that! With that said, come back in a week or two, when I’ll take a look at the 2nd Rock Against Bush release. Until then, take care!



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If you’d like to take a look at the history of this release (As well as Vol. 2), click on the link below:

Punk Rock Vs. The President | Rock Against Bush Retrospective

Food For Thought/Thought For Food No. 31: January 6th (3 Years Later)

Hard to believe it’s been 3 years fellow Otaku & Metalheads.

Hard to believe that 3 years ago on this day, our nation’s capital was under attack by a radical cult of fanatics, who were all egged on by a faithless cult leader that wouldn’t stick his neck out for any of his braindead followers. Hard to believe that on this day, it would ignite a fuse that would eventually explode into a revelation on just how truly corrupt the final few weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency was. It was such a revelation, that many of the lawsuits & trials that are still going on revealed even more about the tendrils of corruption he and many of those circling around him had in our system. If the rest of these trials go against him, then he will be behind bars for the rest of his miserable life.

If I’m being honest, I’m glad that for seemingly the first time in all of our lives, regardless of the generation that we all come from, that justice is being delivered to a corrupt politician of the highest caliber. Yes, he’s only been proven guilty of fraud in the state of New York, not to mention being declared guilty in the E.G. Carroll rape case, and has been taken off the ballot in both Colorado & Maine, but when other big politicians have gotten away with similar things, it is a massive step in the right direction. But.....what if?

What if he is declared guilty on everything? We saw what happened when he lost, and we’re still feeling it 3 years later. If they nail every single charge on him, it will be a bloodbath. We all saw what happened back in 2021, but think of what might take place. MAGA is perhaps more charged & fanatical than it’s ever been, so I have no doubt that they will go absolutely berserk & inflict a lot of damage on anyone and anything they deem even a hair off from their warped views. Even if by some cataclysmic chance he’s not declared guilty, but doesn’t get the presidency back, then January 6 will looking like the most idyllic picnic in the meadow. There will be far more death, far more destruction, and much more disregard for anyone not like them. It’s something I don’t want to think about, yet it’s something that will creep into my head more & more as this year moves on.

The other thing I don’t want to think about, but it’s becoming an unfortunate possibility now, is that Trump might get back into the White House. With Joe Biden continuing to offer seemingly blind support for Israel (A can of worms I refuse to open on here), not to mention some of the numerous disenfranchised young voters & minority voters saying they’ll refuse to come out on election, not to mention the seemingly giant horde of cucked politicians on both sides who’ve been bought off, as well as polls showing that Trump is somehow winning, is slowly making things into a frightening reality. With things like Project 2025 being floated around, as well as Trump’s increasingly authoritarian rhetoric, it all just adds to the encroaching horror we may very well be facing in November & beyond.  

It’s honestly sad. Darkly hilarious, but really sad. Sad that the GOP are still more than likely going to pick the failed businessman with 91 criminal charges, not to mention that fact that many within the Republicans have effectively disowned him, to be the guy that not only leads the party, but leads the United States. All of this just goes to show that our system has hit the bottom of the barrel, and we may very well break through that bottom & dive right into the ground. For decades now, the candidates that come from both parks, outside of exceedingly few exceptions, are jokes and shills for lobbyists & big business. It’s exceptionally frustrating to think about this, as deep down we can come back to being so much better! Sadly, this will probably never happen again, and the best we can do is fight for something temporarily better.

And that’s what’s been going on since then. A little shorter & with a lot less swearing, but I felt that it was necessary in an attempt to be more level-headed with these kinds of posts. Now we’re in 2024, and things feel exciting, but incredibly horrifying as well. If certain forces win back our government this November, then we will cease to be, and fully become the very thing our Founding Fathers feared so much when fighting for our nation’s freedom. So, join me all next week for a review on some politically charged punk.....which is something I don’t think I’ve ever listened to all that much. See you soon.