Smoke Or Fire – The Speakeasy

When it comes to Smoke or Fire’s third album, The Speakeasy, people seem to be divided: they either love it or hate. Some praise it as the pinnacle of the band’s career while others simply call it boring. After more than two dozen listens to the album, I’m relatively certain I lean more towards the later than the former.

Not that The Speakeasy is truly boring per say, but there’s really nothing that keeps me coming back for more. It’s the same constant onslaught of straight forward, no nonsense punk. They pound the drums with a menacing ferocity. Lyrics condemn the current political climate, asking questions such as When did the news become entertainment? (Integrity) and Are people born bad? Are people born good, or passive and controlled too easily? (Monsters Among Us) – and that’s only on the first two tracks of the album. Front man Joe McMahon’s vocals are an odd mixture between gruff and clean, creating a melodic delivery with a slight coarseness coming from the back of the throat. The guitars and clean, working towards a steady pace while they throw in some interesting little solos here and there. As a whole, The Speakeasy is a solid, no frills punk rock record.

The problem comes from the “no frills” portion of that line.  There’s some solid tunes here – Monsters Among Us, Shotguns, Utah, Expatriate, Everything Falls Apart and the easy standout (and sole acoustic number), Honey I Was Right About The War. Sadly, solid is where they stop and never do they reach to the point of being a great song.  Considering the fact that all but one of the songs I just listed off are found on the Side B portion of the track list, it’s safe to say that The Speakeasy’s best moments are those found at the latter end of the album.

No matter where you stop on the album though, there’s an unrelenting pace, a fiery attitude, and some catchy choruses – but the album itself just feels a bit too flat for my comfort.  It’s disappointing becauseSmoke or Fire has the potential to deliver a remarkable album – this just isn’t it.