Album Review – Arms Aloft, What A Time To Be Barely Alive

Arms Aloft are a quartet from Wisconsin who play dedicated Midwestern punk rock with vocals that sound like they’ve been scraped raw by late night bourbon and smoke. What A Time To Be Barely Alive is their sophomore album, it follows on from their acclaimed 2012 debut, Sawdust City, that album was an almost perfect outburst of punk anger against the state, and their latest album has continued in that same vein, but it seems to be one that is more focused and dare I say slightly, only slightly mind, more refined.

We Have Nothing To Lose But Our Chains is the opening assault of melodic hardcore, it sets their stall out nicely, this is socially conscious punk rock, this approach is evident on excellent tracks like Three Altars For Rats and A Psalm For Our Jobs And Apartments, but they aren’t the whole story. There are low key minimalistic numbers, such as Hollowlujah and West Grand Avenue Maria, that are more akin to the work of Billy Bragg, but have no less impact for their subtler approach. Despite the number of fine tracks that populate A Time To Be Barely Alive, it seems that the album has saved it’s best moment for last, the closing track, And A World To Win, is quite simply as finer politically sussed slice of punk rock as you’ll hear all year.

The influence of bands like Propagandhi, Dillinger Four and Anti-Flag can be heard on this release, along with other left wing punk bands, as this is a band that carries a message, not just in their lyrical content but from the roots up, even their album cover, which features a herd of swine escaping a pen, gives you an idea where their political leanings lie. It might not be the most subtle political message but in a age when dangerous imbeciles are gaining credibility the time for subtlety is over, bands like Arms Aloft are needed more than ever and this album is one of the best of it’s type you’ll hear this year.

You can order What A Time To Be Barely Alive from Red Scare Industries here