Review: The Alarm "Under Attack"

After 300 some posts on this blog, I can't believe I have yet to mention The Alarm or Mike Peters. I have been a long-time fan of the band and Mike's solo efforts. "Under Attack" is the little known 2006 release from The Alarm, technically called The Alarm MMVI as Mike Peters is the only remaining original member. But he differentiates this from his solo work primarily because the songs were written in the context of his new bandmates.

We're not going to debate whether Mike Peters has the right to call this a genuine Alarm versus solo record...the main point that must be stressed is that this is a fantastic record. In fact, I think it is one of the strongest Alarm or Mike Peters release in years.

Fresh off a victorious battle with leukemia, Peters sounds incredibly energized, young, and fresh. He and his band have not rocked this hard in a long time. Some folks have complained that the record is raw and sounds a bit like a garage band at times, but I think this is exaggerated. What they hear is an urgency - passion - rock and roll, man! And besides, the big fat hooks and early U2 sounding harmonies we expect from The Alarm are still omnipresent. Every once in a while the acoustic guitars and harmonica ring out so not every song sounds the same. Finally, in keeping with most of Mike Peters work, the lyrics are substantive, clearly inspired by his conquering cancer and tragic events such as the London subway bombings of 2005. But this time with his songs Mike Peters gives us reasons to fight the good fight when "Under Attack", making this one of his most optimistic and upbeat efforts ever.

In a word, an outstanding release from this veteran band/artist.

iPOD-worthy: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13

The Alarm official site.

Here's the video for "Superchannel":