Bad Brains – Build A Nation review

Bad Brains – “Build A Nation”
(Megaforce Records)

Here’s the thing – this should have been a no-brainer. The first Bad Brains record with the original line-up in nearly twenty years? It should be an out-of-the-park home run. And, y’know… the thing is that the songs are good – even the reggae songs! There’s a couple of repeated listens to get into the groove, but once you get used to them, they hit you right in the solar plexus. “Give Thanks and Praises” and “Natty Dreadlocks ‘Pon the Mountain Top” are full-bore pit-starting fuck-it-up hardcore, with HR’s sneer pattering over everything.

I had heard “Roll On” when it first debuted on The Henry Rollins Show. It was fast, angry, and made me hearken right back to the first time I ever heard “Sailin’ On.” Sure, it sounded kinda funny – but it was an Internet stream of a radio show. It’s not like you’d take a comeback album and make the production suck, would you?

You wouldn’t, but it appears they did. The production absolutely sucks. The first Bad Brains album was raw and rough, but it had a good, even recording. The bass on Build A Nation is all thwangy, and the drums sound like they were recorded in a trash can. H.R.’s vocals and Dr. Know’s guitar are about the only things that didn’t get fucked up by Beastie Boy Adam Yauch.

Give Thanks and Praises