"Zeitgeist", which came out back in 1995, is my first exposure to The Levellers - quite fresh, it is a mix of hard rock and traditional English music. Reading some other reviews around the net, a lot of people are arguing that this is the weakest Levellers CD because it is the most mainstream of their efforts. Interesting, because I kind of like it.
They strike me as a cross between Black 47 and Sonic Youth, or more formally, Celtic punk. The juxtaposition of the English folk sounds with thick and driving guitars is an auditory intrigue. Most of the songs on the CD sit well with me - the sound is unique but largely centered on decent songwriting with some good hooks. Plus, some of the songs sound like early Alarm, with vocals not too distant from Mike Peters himself.
My favorite track is "Hope St" - if anything, go check out this tune for a sense of what I mean. Other highlights include "The Fear" and "Fantasy" and "Lead This Town". There is some filler, some of which is downright irritating ("PC Keen"), but it can be forgiven given all the other good tracks. I look forward to digging deeper into their catalogue...
iPOD-worthy: 1, 2, 5, 8, 11, 12
The Levellers on MySpace. Official site.
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