Album Review: Strung Out - 'Top Conteners - The Best of Strung Out'

20 August 2011 | 10:40 am | Staff Writer
Originally Appeared In

The perfect example of why people love Strung Out.

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Unlike many acts, who feel that three albums is worthy of a ‘best of’ release, Strung Out, who formed back in 1992 and have seven records and a slew of EPs under their belt, are definitely due for one. Enter ‘Top Contenders,’ a twenty-six song collection of some of the finest Strung Out jams, spanning their long career.

Granted, with a catalogue as vast as this bands, picking the worthy tracks would no doubt be a hard task, but the group have managed to include some of their finest whilst giving an overall view of the musical journey Strung Out have taken thus far. As a real bonus however, and not to ignore those hardcore fans who probably already own every Strung Out record, the group have included three brand new songs as well as remixing every single track chosen for the collection. Whilst some changes are more obvious than others, the record as whole maintains a similar sound and flow as opposed to being a straight cut and paste.

The group’s early skate punk days receive the most benefit from the re-mastering as the quality of those recordings were never that great, these songs sound brand new whilst still keeping the energy and flair of the originals.

Arguments can be held as to why the track list reads as it does and why stand out songs like Suburban Teenage Wasteland Blues was left off, but in the end the play list, which is in no particular order, does well to show every side of the band and proves in itself why it is hard to narrow down the good songs as there are so damn many.

The new tracks pick up where the band’s last record, 2009’s ‘Agents Of The Underground left off, powerful, energetic and full of catchy melodic hooks both vocally and musically. As the band near the twenty year mark it is clear that they are far from calling it quits if these new songs have anything to say about it.

Thanks to the new tracks and the remixed versions of the older songs, old fans will find some value in this collection which serves as the perfect starting point for new fans looking to catch up and learn what Strung Out are all about.

1. Firecracker
2. Velvet Alley
3. Mind of My Own
4. Everyday
5. City Lights
6. Too Close to See
7. Vanity
8. Mission Statement
9. Cemetery
10. Bring Out Your Dead
11. Analog
12. Black Crosses
13. Ashes
14. Monster
15. Letter Home
16. Blueprint of the Fall
17. Population Control
18. Swan Dive
19. Calling
20. Saturday Night
21. Exhumation of Virginia Madison
22. In Harm's Way
23. Scarecrow
24. Cult of the Subterranean
25. Here We Are
26. Matchbook