Courier Mail, 11 February 2006, State Of Emergency Review

Article by: Patrick Lion


The Living End
State Of Emergency (EMI) *** ½

THEY mean what they say in the title. Three years since their misfire with then new drummer Andy Strachan, The Living End have returned with their best effort since 2000’s Roll On.
Which is why it isn’t a surprise that album’s producer, Nick Launay, is back at the controls. Launay has produced the goods.
Chris Cheney’s guitar sounds urgent again (see opener Till The End) while the experimental pop moments from 2003’s Modern ARTillery are still present but don’t sound bloated this time.
Second single Wake Up is a lot like that, building from some slow-burning riffing to an epic climax featuring a children’s choir.
Still, the trio suffer from inconsistency and a tendency to forget to edit more judiciously. At least three or four tracks here could have got the axe.
But the rest compensates for that.
This is a big record for the Melbourne trio, a collection that will introduce them to a new generation in the same way Blink-182 has managed to do.
And how good is that Cheney bloke? The kid can play.