Since I see little to no hope of a Clash reunion now, I was rather
happy to receive a copy of the new "Symposium" CD, "On the Outside." They are willing torchbearers of the pop/punk style and the "Screw it all, let's have some fun," attitude that was firmly implanted in the Clash sound. With this album, they can be both loud and abrasive and also throw in a melodic turn at times.

"Symposium" is a five member band out of London. They've enjoyed several chart-topping singles in the UK, and, among other things, played on the most recent WARPED Tour here. The band lineup features two guitarists, an approach that I feel works well with this type of music, especially if the guitarists have a cohesive sound. The album itself features a whopping 17 tracks, counting the obligatory hidden track, that many groups for some reason now feel is mandatory on an album.

The album opens on a rocking note with the track "The Answer To Why
I Hate You," which begins with a Beatlesque melody that explodes into the angry, guitar heavy, sonic assault that punk music is noted for. This is followed by the catchy "Bury you." In both of the first two songs on the album, vocalist Ross Cummins shows his ability to range from melodic Fastball-type singing, to ballbreaking, vocal chord tearing, true punk singing.

The songs themselves run the gamut of styles. There are punk and ska
influences that surface throughout. There are pure pop songs, such as the guitar driven rocker "Impossible," and the lazy, semi-acoustic ballad, "Blue." There are other songs that blend the pop and punk styles seamlessly, such as "The End." "The End," for example, is a delightful marriage of loud guitars and melodic vocals.

Then, there are my personal favorites: the songs that are pure out-and-out never mind the bollocks slammin in your face punk tracks.
"Puddles," a track that typifies this, begins with high speed drums, blaring guitars, and vocals that are half-sung and half-shouted. This is the kind of music that you play both for the adrenaline rush and to piss off your neighbors, and it takes me back to the days when the animal known as punk music was just being released from it's cage.

There are many notable tracks on the album. (One would hope with 17
tracks that this would be the case.) Though some of the tracks are more
ballady and pop oriented, the energy level remains consistent throughout the album, and there really never is a letdown. The song titles themselves are both interesting and evocative: "Paint the Stars," "Drink The Sunshine," and the theme song for the Prozac generation, "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder."

The band also, apparently, knows the way to my heart, by throwing in a
rollicking, pub-crawl drinking song, "Fizzy." This short number puts me in mind of a song that drunken patrons would sing together in a London pub, their arms linked in alcohol-induced camraderie. It even features a group-shouted "Oy!" every so often.

All in all, this is a very fun listen. I enjoy the spirit of punk music that this album kindles, and I like the fact that they can balance the punk elements with the more melodic elements that many of their songs possess. They're somewhat reminiscent of Weezer, in my opinion, in that respect. I look forward to hearing more from them, and I hope that they have a "London Calling" somewhere in their future.