On "We Built The Gun...", Chicago three-piece The Evaluation takes on the ills of American culture, especially its emphasis on consumerism. Part chaotic punk, part post punk, this band cannot help but draw comparisons to seminal DC hardcore acts. For a debut release, The Evaluation could not have done much better. The songs are catchy and hook laden and they follow through the record with a consistent theme. One negative, however, would have to be the "explanation" of the cover art found in the liner notes. In trying to make a point about power, money, corruption, and American society, the band comes off sounding convoluted and even juvenile. While they clearly wanted to be brief in their dissent, The Evaluation might have benefited from a more lengthy explanation; the concepts they attempted to grapple with seem to require more space than the ten or eleven lines they devoted.
2.5/4
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2004Reviewed by Brian A. SmithArising like a phoenix from the ashes of the band Danger Will Robinson is The Evaluation, a "dance punk" trio out of Illinois. From the opening lines of "The One Thing John Grisham and Wal-Mart Have in Common" it becomes obvious that this is a group that has a different way of looking at things. This is a commentary on the philosophy that Americans believe to think that if something is popular,…Similar sounding releases
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