United Nations

United Nations recently arrived upon the myspace scene with a full album stream well before the projected release date and before anybody had heard of them, their growing fan base another testament to the power of viral promotion. With an abrupt and enigmatic arrival in late summer, the somewhat mysterious collective, perhaps fronted by Thursday vocalist Geoff Rickley, have put together a musical concoction that’s equal parts product of each of the members’ primary musical projects (Glassjaw, Converge) and shaken with a garnish of questionable political satire. Sources are conflicted on the official band member line-up, some claiming that contractual obligations have forced the members to conceal their identities, albeit with minimal success. The CD, which has been marketed as power-violence/grind, will fall short for any serious champions of these genres, but the product is a successful fierce mid-’90s-esque hardcore album. Its potency lies in the ability to dually incorporate the rhythmic fierceness of Glassjaw and the epic melodic content of Thursday, often shifting quickly and dramatically between juxtaposed themes as a testament to the combined songwriting merits of some members and the inclination for intensity of others. With no misconceptions about the possible length of an album of this nature, the CD clocks in at a comfortable 25 minutes, covering a variety of themes without getting overly ahead of itself and tiring anybody out too much. A necessity for current or ex-fans of any of the involved artists.