\I wanna feel again / I want to shout / Loud and proud!"" roars Roger Miret in the opening track to 1984. From the first 30 seconds of this album, a raging declaration of traditional ""loud and proud,"" commentary-filled punk songs hit the ears.
Preaching on the classical tomes of punk-like freedom, government and an unequivocal love of New York City, Miret and the Disasters deliver a cutting, crisp and invigorating display.
Coming from artists who can truthfully claim ""In 1984 we ruled the streets of New York City / Street rock 'n' roll, street hardcore,"" 1984 is not filled with any new attempts at defining punk. It is the same sporadic surfer riffs, cranked-up power chords and ""oy oy!"" sing-alongs that punksters have been singing for decades.
1984 brings together a generation of punksters born circa the titular 1984. The album defies heavy production tendencies, which are so prevalent in much of modern recording, and Roger Miret and the Disasters deliver a relatively pure album within its message and music.
What is perhaps most noteworthy about this album is its ability to stay so to its roots while masterfully executing a fresh album for the throngs of 2005. While many punk bands on the market today have deviated into pop-filled sounds and falsetto voices, Miret and company use their age and experience to throw tenacity to the wall and deliver a mature and riveting performance.
Keeping 1984 short and sweet, Miret and the Disasters hit the listener with quality over quantity, delivering the album's 13 tracks in slightly over a half hour's time. This fast-paced rock-out cannot help but promote a listening session filled with flashbacks to sweaty mosh pits and misguided youth.
As a working definition of punk that most bands try to tap into, but rarely understand, 1984 delivers because of its intelligent handling of the genre. It does not try to be anything except traditional punk. While simplistic rants such as ""We're pissed / We're drunk"" fill 1984, Miret and the Disasters intelligently construct an unyielding album that delivers dissent to society in all of punk's loud glory.
