Dead Pioneers
Po$t American
*** out of *****
The second full length from Dead Pioneers, titled Po$t American, is a rumbling, ranting, unsettling affair as the Denver, Colorado based outfit set out to abolish the myths, lies, and white supremacy embedded in this countries history.
The band, Gregg Deal: Lead vocals, Josh Rivera: Guitar, Abe Brennan: Guitar, Lee Tesche: Bass, Shane Zweygardt: Drums, started as an offshoot of Deal's spoken word performance art and activism as he has had a long history of speaking on "Indigenous identity and pop culture, touching on issues of race relations, historical consideration and stereotype".
The album has a punk spirit and uses Deal's spoken word style in Henry Rollins-like fashion as he mixes more straight ahead poetry/speech styles with full throttled slamming message music. The group seems most comfortable driving forward while Deal delivers his screeds against systemic racism. The title tracks soaring riffs and massive drums work well, the pushing low end of "The Caucasity" gives just one personal example of dealing with White Privilege, and "Mythical Cowboys" takes down Hollywood idols like John Wayne and Kevin Costner.
While all of these songs deliver the message effectively, Dead Pioneers are at their best when Deal incorporates his vocals fully into the punk songs with more of a singing manner as opposed to standing apart. "Working Class Warfare" deploys crunching riffs, the band's great theme "Dead Pioneers" rumbles with an excellent shout along chorus and "My Spirit Animal Ate Your Spirit Animal" is the best of the bunch as the guitars chug, the drums slap and the vibrating sounds work well with Deals more melodic style railing against stolen Native culture.
The band can also down shift and get arty with mellow/thematic music behind Deal's calmly spoken rebelliousness. The cascading sounds behind "White Whine", closer "Untitled Spoken Word No. 2" the piano laced "Blood Letting Carnival" and the pulsing "Fire and Ash" all favor this delivery while "Love Language" is a spoken word duet with Lauren Aldrige from Petrol Girls. "Juicy Fruit (Ode to Chief Bromden)" is a angular post-punk offering dedicated to the narrator of Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, portrayed excellently by Will Sampson in the Academy Award wining film.
A righteous record that straddles spoken word performance art and slamming punk, Dead Pioneers Po$t American is direct and gives no quarter as none is deserved when it comes to the oppressive topics addressed.
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