Subhumans Canada

Bands re-recording their formative and/or most successful albums later in their career isn't a new concept. However, in the case of Vancouver, BC-based old school four-chord punks Subhumans and Same Thoughts Different Day, there is a unique reason behind revisiting their 1980 debut, Incorrect Thoughts. While it may seem like some sort of cash-grab or means of stirring up attention without having any new material, the fact of the matter is that they had to. After a lengthy battle with a U.S. label that essentially stole the original album, the quartet were faced with either dropping the issue entirely or creating a new version. Taking the latter route has proved rather interesting in execution, as Same Thoughts Different Day provides a fresh take on some well-worn tunes. Despite a few new songs tacked on, the affair is still simple; it's true to the initial album yet sounds better and somewhat more refined. There's pleasure in hearing a reinvigorated band take fresh stabs at their bread'n'butter, and while this incarnation of a Canadian punk classic might not overtake the original, which were clearly more youthful and exuberant, at least we can enjoy this politics-free version.