Divided We Stand

T.S.O.L., which stands for True Sounds of Liberty, exploded into the Orange County punk scene in 1979. The original band members, Jack Grisham, Ron Emory, Mike Roche and Todd Barnes grew up together in Huntington Beach, and before T.S.O.L. was born, secured a fanbase with their band, Vicious Circle. T.S.O.L. was much angrier, and therefore much more popular, and soon toured with bands like The Dead Kennedy’s and Social Distortion, often as the headliner. Sadly, the original drummer, Todd Barnes, passed away, but they mention a “supporting cast” which includes Billy Blaze on drums, Greg Kuehn on piano/synths, and David Bianco on percussion/out-of-tune guitar.
“Divided We Stand” is a very honest album, starting with the track “Sedatives” which is about addiction, to “Serious” which tackles politics, and “Sex Not Violence” which talks about . . . well, sex! A diverse album with little complaints from long-time fans; many state this album to be their best in years.
potty-mouth tracks: 3, 4, 7

(note: rating numbers are out of 10 and following each track description)
1. Sedatives: nice guitar riffs midway through; easy sing-a-long tune (7). 2. Serious: easy beat; short and sweet (7). 3. Fuck You Tough Guy: obvious cussing in this one, “fuck you tough guy,” at -1:51 and -0:34 (7). 4. See You Tomorrow: Stones rock sound; cussing, “what the fuck, let’s have a party,” at -1:14, nice piano outro (8). 5. American: soft, jazzy drums/percussion intro (8). 6. Loaded: slower tempo; sad, longing song (8). 7. Sex Not Violence: not radio-friendly, fast, hyper song; resident cussing in chorus, “sex, sex, sex, fuck the violence,” at -1:51, -1:48, -1:08, -1:06, -1:04, -1:01, -0:21, -0:19, -0:16, -0:14, -0:12, -0:09, -0:07 (7). 8. Again: bittersweet song; fast punk tempo (8). 9. Electric: refreshing intro; sharp beat with heavy guitar riffs (7). 10. Undressed: heavy drums and bass; good perky beat (7). 11. Being in Love: catchy punk beat; easy listen (7). 12. Happy: another catchy punk beat (7). 13. Shine: gothic punk sound (7).

review courtesy of LadyDev