Authorities – Kung Pao Au Go-Go

Authorities’ wear their influences on their sleeve with no intention of masking their allegiance to the Vancouver, BC punk scene.  It’s an aging sound now, and one that I hadn’t given much thought to until I realized just how much like Subhumans (Canada) and D.O.A. the band comes across (and that’s well before the Joe Keithley cameo closes out the album on “Teenage Piss Party”).  Best characterized by a very unabashed and direct sound that tends to bend and distort melody rather than run with it, their first album in over twenty years, Kung Pao Au Go-Go, should be a boost of juice for anyone looking for something new by a bunch of old dudes who never moved beyond 1984.

Vocalist Curtis Clyde Hall sounds locked firmly into 1984 with his distinct hardcore pseudo spoken-word punk personae barking with authority.  More often that not the guitars follow Hall’s tonation as opposed than the opposite; if Hall raises his voice, the guitars amp up their velocity, if he rambles at a drunken pace, then they race forward, and if he bounces along, they follow Hall’s rolling inflections.  It’s a vocal-centered style – and do Authorities ever have a lot to say.  Only a few tracks buck the trend, “Run N’ Hide” being a clear standout with its somewhat of a 50’s inspired guitar solo, and “The Giant” demonstrating an acoustic spaghetti western leaning.

With songs about alcoholism (“Screaming Alcoholic”), hipsters (“Dead At Birth”), and familial poverty (“My Old Man’s A Bum”), the band covers a lot of ground.  Sometimes the topics make for quality entertainment – their heavy sarcasm raising a deserving smirk.  That being said, Hall can also sound like he’s rambling, and at worse, just singing to keep up the beat.  Take “It’s Tonight” and the little-meaning-in-lots-of-words filler chorus “are you going out tonight, are you going to the show tonight, and do you wanna dance or do you wanna fight, you know you’ve gotta hang out on Saturday night, right?”  The album feels like it’s split down the middle in this regard, with certain songs evoking a chuckle, and others forcing an eye roll.

So is Authorities’ big comeback and resurrection worth checking out?  Well, that depends on who you are.  If you dig the Vancouver hardcore sound from the 80’s, then Kung Pao Au Go-Go should be a pleasant surprise.  If like most you are probably unsure about what early 80’s Vancouver hardcore even means, then a wait-and-see approach might be the best introduction.  I’ve never been terribly attached to the sound, but Authorities have grown on me in thanks to a handful of songs in particular.  Overall a solid re-introduction to a band that will be new to most.