Divorce Songs

With a title like Divorce Songs, I expected the music on this album to represent feelings of separation or disunion, and United States did not disappoint. The Brooklyn post-punk band, which is likened to Fugazi, Cursive and Sonic Youth, presents eight jagged anthems about struggling and surviving in the city. Most tracks on the album are hard and rough in a punk kind of way, but the music slows down a bit for "Grand Stand." This song has an extended instrumental intro and softer vocals.

Speaking of vocals, they’re pretty good—strong, masculine and exuding the kind of force one might expect from a dissonant-type group. At the same time, the vocals push just above angst so that they teeter towards maturity. As far as lyrics and any messages the band is trying to send, some are admittedly beyond my comprehension. However, my favorite lines are these: “I want to save the union from this state of disrepair. And I’ll sing it like I mean it until I really care.”

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