Paint It Green and Blue

*Disclaimer* Mike, if do not wish to be seething with jealousy by the end of this post please discontinue reading NOW and quickly hit the back button on your browser, or close it all together, whatever works.

I got my Paint it Black pre order in the mail last week. I was glad to know the vinyl version of this release was being done by Rivalry, I've been a fervent supporter of that label for a few years now. I was definitely anticipating hearing this record, I thought Paint It Black's two previous releases were really great. Both records were chalked full of well written angsty hardcore punk anthems.

New Lexicon is angrier sounding than anything Dan Yemin has been able to churn out to this point. This record is probably the most aggressive and straight forward Paint It Black release yet, there are a few anthemic moments reminiscent of those on CVA and even Paradise. Songs like The Ledge and Shell Game Redux are examples of this, while songs like Four Deadly Venoms and Dead Precedents start full of pure aggression and grind to a bitter pulsing halt.

My favorite song on this record is probably Past Tense, Future Perfect, i think it combines the more melodic qualities of Paint It Black with the aggression that makes them such a vaunted presence in hardcore punk. It's hard to really compare this record with their previous efforts, they've never released a bad song. Like any great band each record has a feel of its own, you know its still the same band but there's a separate dynamic that makes each record special in its own right.


New Lexicon continues Dan Yemin's impressive ability to turn every musical en devour he touches into gold, even if he's not the one playing the guitar it still comes out sounding as tight as anything possible could. You can really hear the chemistry between all the musicians on this record and on every Paint It Black release for that matter. I remember hearing Kid Dynamite for the first time and not being able comprehend how together everything sounded, I'm sure if I'd been living under a rock all these years and came out to listen to Paint It Black I'd get that same feeling.

The lyrics on this record are pretty good as well. There definitely a lot of imagery and social/political undertones. They aren't as blunt as some other bands that tackle the same issues but when it's all said and done the message gets a hammered home effectively enough. Here are the lyrics to Shell Game Redux, probably my favorite on this record.

Shell Game Redux

Sweep out the cobwebs & recalibrate the
currency. They're robbing us blind.
They're trimming the fat, and counting every
calorie. Can't you see that they're robbing
us blind? Inveterate invertebrates ingest and
regurgitate. They are robbing us blind. There's
no convincing explanation for the crumbs on
your dinner plate.

Sharpen the knives and sugarcoat the medicine.
Consult your astrologist and be sure to tip the
weathermen.
I know we promised you a dividend...

They steal the bread from our mouths. They
steal the air from our lungs.
And they steal the ground from under our
feet. They will try to steal the words from our
tongues.

DON'T LET THEM