Catch Twenty Two - Permanent Revolution (11 tracks) +Album Reviews

Unexpected

Drastic Action | New Jersey | 06/27/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I had generally come to the opinion that Catch 22, while a pretty good band, was always going to be overshadowed by Keasby Nights, and Kalnoky's subsequent absence. Their live shows were fun, and they still put out a few pretty good cds, but I just wasn't as interested.

Of course, this is where I say that opinion has changed. I bought this cd today, put it in, and was taken completely by surprise. Granted, I was already intrigued by the album art -- it was like they were going for an entire concept album, a feat which I did not quite see them attempting. But I was not prepared for the music.

I won't dissect it song by song, or attempt to explain why it seemed to reach out and grab me like none of their post-kalnoky cds have been able to. It just *did*. My 80's metal-loving friend even was trying to sing along right off the bat, and it's not even remotely his style, and the songs were all instantly catchy. While Alone in a Crowd seemed to try to relive Keasby, and Dinosaur Sounds tried a slower pace, this seems to be a further development of their own sound, except with more energy than was present in either of those cds.

Hopefully it will stand up to repeated listens, but as it stands now, this cd is definitely quickly becoming a summer favorite."

Skapunk history lesson

A. Liebling | Long Island City, NY United States | 08/07/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Skapunkers Catch 22 are back with a concept album about the life and times of Leon Trotsky. It's a bizarre career turn for a band that's been accused of releasing flat and uncatchy albums of late. Instead of reminding fans why they should still care, Catch puts out a Noam-Chomsky-readin', Che-Guevara-shirt-wearin', oh-so-brainy history lesson set to music. The vocals are horrendous, but as far as concept albums on Leon Trotsky go, the music isn't bad. They pull it off with a good amount of upbeat horns and beats ("Opportunity" being a great standout). I'm impressed by the ambition, and the execution is surprisingly decent, but in the end I don't listen to Catch 22 to be lectured about socialism."

C22 finally develops their own sound

Drastic Action | 07/09/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I had almost given up on Catch 22. I don't really need to go into the history of the band, suffice to say I thought Alone in a Crowd was merely an attempt to recreate the glory that was Keasby Nights, and Dinosaur Sounds was simply bad. Bafflingly bad. It seems the guys of C22 finally got the hint. Instead of trying to live up to the hype of "the band that released Keasby Nights" they finally take a bold step and try going in a new direction. That direction, much to my surprise, actually works.

Permanent Revolution is a concept album based loosely on the life of Leon Trotsky. The songs are arranged in chronological order, telling a different chapter in the story of the Bolshevik's rise to power and subsequent downfall. The music itself is very strong. The horns, which have always been one of C22's best assets, continue to shine here. For the first time in any C22 album, there are (gasp) good guitar tones! Ryan Eldred still isn't really a strong enough singer to fill the role of lead vocalist, but his voice is much stronger than Dinosaur Sounds, and his lyrics are much better.

So, where does this leave the band? They seem to have finally shaken off the KN stigma. This album defines their new sound, and they have reason to sport a newfound confidence.

Oh, and the last song sounds almost exactly like Elton John's "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"."

Blown Away

Mike Majeski | New Jersey | 06/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At first I did not know what to expect from this album. I was a bit skeptical at first when I heard Catch 22 was releasing a concept album. As soon as I popped the CD in I was blown away. This is an entirely new Catch 22. There is so much energy on this CD, and the lyrics are like poetry. As each track progresses you can envision the story playing out.

The thing I love most about this album is how there are fast, loud tracks followed by slower, layed back ones.

The album ends with a beautiful acoustic song where we get to see how good Ryan Eldred's voice truly is. His voice was a bit weaker on Dinosaur Sounds, however this time there is a huge improvement. He might have one of the best voices in ska right now. I love the final line in that last song..."A life spent doing less than all you can would be a waste...""

Oddly amazing

S. Furniss | Utah | 02/11/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I picked this up solely as an impulse buy. I had read that one of my favorite bands of all time, Streetlight Manifesto, had evolved out of this group and I was curious to sort of see where they had come from. I had no idea of Catch 22's discography, other than Keasbey Nights, and didn't know where this fell in their order of release, it was simply sitting on the shelf at my local shop, so I figured I'd give it a try.

The first time I listened through it I thought there was something a little odd about but I really liked the instrumentation and lyrics. After not listening for a week, having lent it to my brother, I researched the album a bit and found out it was a concept album, and one that told the story of real life communist Leon Trotsky. When I got my CD back I began listening through the album while reading the liner notes and I began reading up on Trotsky, a very interesting experience and it propelled toward buying the rest of their albums.

This is easily one of their very best pieces of work, along with Dinosaur Sounds, but unlike the previous album this is a concept album so some songs don't stand so well on their own. The instrumental structure is much more complex and better played out than anything they've done to date and the lyrics carry more meaning and content than the glut of pop music that is the kudzu of the music world.

Whether you like Ska or not, or nothing about it, this is still an excellent album to pick up."

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	Catch Twenty Two Permanent Revolution Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock Track Listings (11) - Disc #1 Prologue The Spark (1902) Party Song (1917) Decembrists' Song (1921) A Minor Point (1922) On The Black Sea (1924) Bad Party (1927) Alma-Ata (1928) The Purge (1936) Opportunity (1940) Epilogue
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