BROADCAST ZERO
“YESTERDAY, YOU COULD CHANGE THE WORLD”
2008
CD
REVIEWS
From Exclaim:
West coast politi-punks the Rebel Spell just met their East coast equivalent. Proof positive that the political opinions most crusty/street punk bands strive to instil in their fans don’t go unnoticed, agitated quartet Broadcast Zero blaze forth with their inspired take on the state of the world. Infusing many personal and anecdotal elements into the fold though, they escape the trappings that weigh down their contemporaries, resulting in tunes that are equal parts sincere and informative. More importantly though, the fervour with which Yesterday, You Could Change The World is delivered seems unparalleled. Every track attacks as if it were the last moment these boys will have on the face of the Earth, relegating the aggression acts such as the Casualties or Total Chaos affect somewhat like, well, bullshit. This is the new breed of street-wise punks and their enthusiasm, vigour and dominance are fucking brilliant. (Exclaim )
From Riot 77:
Like Youth Brigade on speed, Broadcast Zero are a tight unit, playing no-nonsense Street Punk and Hardcore. Singer Nick Shrubsole has a pair of lungs on him that casts my mind back to hearing Mike Marsden of The Ducky Boys for the first time. Yup, those pipes are about to blow at any given second. The onslaught of Broadcast Zero is rich in the traditions of Punk Rock’s past, but there’s a spirit in here that makes me realize we’ve lost something along the way that this band is eager to put back. Choppy riffs that plough the hooks into your brain with brute force instead of sweetness. Pointing the finger at the outside world whilst maintaining a degree of warmth and affection for the listener, this connected with me on a level I expect from Punk Rock but unfortunately don’t always get. (Riot 77 / Ireland)
From Old Punks Never Die:
“Yesterday, You Could Change The World’ is the debut release on Rebel Time Records, and it sets a mighty high benchmark for those that are to follow. Broadcast Zero are classic tofu-and-two-veg punk rock, the kind that creates an instant feeling of comfort and familiarity as it floods into every synapse you possess. Brick-solid riffs, razor-sharp bass, muscle-punching rhythms and vox that demand attention RIGHT FUCKIN’ NOW blend effortlessly together. It’s a solid no-nonsense balls-out streetpunk n’ roll beat. The sound is the perfect foil for the words, the socially-aware-but-don’t-forget-the-fun kind of punk intelligence that shows Rancid up for the playschool fakers they are. I’m not dissing the band by saying there’s a definite Rancid flavour (ha ha) to the sound – I love that old-school style but I fuckin’ hate the whole corporate bollocks that they’ve bought into, and to hear a band like BZ bring it back to the real punks puts a shit-eating grin on my face. There’s not a duff track on this, every one is a classic. If I had to pick a favourite, it would have to be ‘My Body’. I’ve never heard a song that addresses sexual abuse in such an upfront no-bullshit way. ‘Self-defence is no offence’ is more than just a slogan in BZ’s worldview. I challenge any one of you to get through this CD without punching the air lots, contorting your face into a vein-popping diabolic shade of red, hollering along with the band in a brothers-and-sisters-in-arms kinda way and resolving to revolt at every opportunity that crosses your path. OP’s opinion: @@@@@.” – (Old Punks Never Die)
From Equalizing X Distort:
“BROADCAST ZERO fall in a long line of bands that marry a message with melodic three chord punk. It’s infectious and it’s substance oriented. They remind me of a modern day MARILYN’s VITAMINS which is to say something like DILLINGER 4. And they keep good company with bands like the FALLOUT and the REBEL SPELL who come from the same school of punk. This is the debut release by this new fledgling label that cut their teeth as part of Insurgence. And it’s a dandy for both label and band as a debut release. Fans of HOSTAGE LIFE and BLACK JACKET should check out BROADCAST ZERO for their tales of hardship and disappointment all to a racing pace that has gang chorus sing-a-longs.” (Equalizing X Distort)
From The Record:
The music of Broadcast Zero is deceptively simple. You’ve probably heard its ilk before — melodic, three-chord punk riffs with machine-gun rat-a-tat percussion and shouted anthemic choruses — but you haven’t heard it done quite like this. There’s more going on here than first meets the ear. This Kitchener quartet defies the limitations of their genre, churning out powerful punk that is catchier, smarter and more mature than it has any right to be. Their first album, Yesterday You Could Change the World (hot off the presses last week from Hamilton indie label Rebel Time Records) is as self-assured a debut as you’re likely to hear in any genre. The fact that the genre is punk, a field saturated with lacklustre copycats and guitar-bashing hacks, makes Broadcast Zero’s achievement doubly wowing. It’s tricky to put a finger on what, exactly, sets the album apart from its peers, since at first blush it sounds so faithful to the three-chord angsty archetype. It certainly helps that the production values on Yesterday You Could Change the World are a cut above the typical indie release, capturing both the raw intensity and the intricacies of the songs. It also helps that the members of Broadcast Zero have put some serious thought into the lyrical themes on the album (most notably on the track Same Old Story, a brutally honest assessment of growing up and losing youthful idealism). In interviews, the guys of Broadcast Zero are prone to philosophizing about deconstructionism, social activism and the dangers of moral relativism. With 14 songs unfolding in 27 minutes, the album is packed with a lot of words, most of which are rallying cries for social justice, courage and integrity. Then again, there are also several refreshingly dunderheaded anthems designed to make people mosh — such as the “love” song Velvet Doll, the lyrics of which are awesomely, unpublishably vulgar. Punk fans will gleefully pump their fists to this record. What’s more impressive, though, is that Yesterday You Could Change The World might just bring some new converts to the genre.” (The Record / Within Earshot)