Time Again – The Stories Are True / 2006 Hellcat / 13 Tracks / http://www.timeagainband.com / http://www.hell-cat.com / Reviewed 25 March 2006

“Junkies” starts off “The Stories Are True” with a proper punk flair, Time Again really coming close to the Rancid type of things. This makes sense considering that a track (the title one) has Rancid’s Tim Armstrong singing on it, and the band is on Armstrong’s own Hell Cat Records. The tracks here on “The Stories Are True” are quick, furious and without any equal; individuals will be starting circle pits in their rooms regardless of whether there is anyone around. Songs like “Say Again” are repetitious, but this inserts the melody deep into listeners’ minds.

After Time Again realizes that the tracks are nearing a creative end, the song is cut off without much in the way of pomp. While the first two tracks on “The Stories Are True” are fun and catchy, Time Again make a greater plea to their listeners with “Broken Bodies”. The same pit-worthy guitar lines dominate the track but the vocals are the focal point of the track. This song would not be an ill fit on any of the most memorable punk discs of the mid to late nineties; it is pop-influenced without being divourced from punk’s dirty roots. Throw in a guitar solo worthy of Bad Religion on “Broken Bodies” and the band has their listeners in so many different ways.

“The Stories Are True”, as it has been mentioned features Tim Armstrong; the presence of such a recognizable set of vocals during the track coupled with a slower, ska-laden style makes Time Again even more memorable in the style of music that they play. After a few slower tracks that start off “The Stories Are True”, Time Again spits out a number of hits in a row; “Cold Concrete” brings the same memorable choruses and fun guitar/drum dynamics to the fore. To hear Time Again, one would guess that they have been around for five or ten years, completely underestimating this 2004-founded band. The entirety of “The Stories Are True” peters out well before the thirty minute mark, but when individuals hear songs like “Lost in Hollywood”, the chances are good that this album could be continually thrown on the CD player and hold up admirably well. Time Again is the punk band of the future, and as acts like Face To Face and Unwritten Law either break up or become increasingly irrelevant to the scene in general, Time Again will gradually grow to assume the role of these fallen punk idols.

Top Tracks: Fallen Nation, Broken Bodies

Rating: 7.2/10

[JMcQ]