46 Short – Truth Denied

46 Short – Truth Denied / 2006 TKO / 13 Tracks / http://www.46short.com / http://www.tkorecords.com / Reviewed 22 April 2006 Can someone take a break during a 46 Short album? It seems like, especially given the opening of the disc (“Nothing Left”) that individuals will keel over from a lack of oxygen. Luckily for them, the album is less than thirty-five minutes. “Nothing Left” is a track that shows 46 Short as a band that brings together The Casualties and Rancid, but in their own way. This is not a hack band, but rather an act in which individuals can pick out certain influences at times. A strong suit for 46 Short has to be their ability to go and create in 90 seconds what individuals are simply not able to do with an entire track; they can actually make a song that individuals will sing along to after only a few listens (“Wolves” is a great example of this). There are not the ballads or the momentary lapses of intensity that marks most punk rock bands now; “Damned Nation” is going to be as strong as “Nothing Left”, and individuals should understand that before picking up this album. This is what pop-punk should be; there is still the bite and acidity of punk rock music, but couched in ca catchy style that will get even the most unlikely individuals into the circle. In a sense, 46 Short speaks to me as a fan of acts like Virus Nine; there seems to be that same genuine approach to music that Virus Nine had, coupled with a technical ability that has not been heard often in punk music. The only thing that seems to be lacking at all on “Truth Denied” has to be enough lyrics to keep individuals going on the disc; while the music and the technical virtuosity of 46 Short is without reproach, the lyrics seem to be repeated ad nauseam, even in their shortened form (this is noticed in “Wolves” and especially “Damned Nation” and “Left and Right”). The band does have a few tracks that break from that mold (“Still Walking”), but this is the only weak spot in a band that shines any other way one looks at them. The interesting thing about 46 Short is that there seems to be two sides to the band; the catchy side that is present during the first track of the disc and the much more intense side of the band that increasingly becomes noticeable during the second half of the disc. Taken together, they paint 46 Short as a talent band that I know I’ll be looking forward to in the future. Top Tracks: Damned Nation, Nothing Left Rating: 6.3/10

[JMcQ]