Review: Dead Pioneers ‘PO$T AMERICAN’
At a time of turmoil across America with the Mango Mussolini and his gang of starry eyed, slack jawed, yokels running amok in office, this album sums up what is happening right here, right now. Just like Public Enemy’s Fear Of A Black Planet back in 1990, Dead Pioneers have taken an inward look at society to express their thoughts about indigenous experiences and political life in America and the results are mightily impressive.
At The Sleeping Shaman, there are writers from across the pond, who give us their own personal insights into the mess currently unfolding across the 50 states, and as vocalist and songwriter Gregg Deal says the album ‘informs a collective disenfranchisement and disillusionment to the so-called American Dream’. The songs have that punk rock attitude with guitarists John Rivera and Abe Brennan in full flow, and begins with A.I.M, a tribute to the American Indian Movement before the title track PO$T AMERICAN ramps up their rallying cry against, as Deal describes it, ‘their own capitalist power grab’.
The songs are real and relevant. My Spirt Animal Ate Your Spirit Animal has similarities to our own political songwriters Bob Vylan, what a joint tour that would be! It’s full of attitude and has punchy, meaningful lyrics like ‘Fight a man with nothing to lose’. It leads into the ferocious Pit Song, which is short, sharp and aggressive, with a mighty build-up from drummer Shane Zweygardt which hits like a slap across the jaw.
The Caucasity has a weighty bass line from Lee Tesche that allows the compelling lyrics to take charge of the song. The narrative focuses on a story being told that alludes to the attitude and entitlement of white people towards the native people of their own land. We see this on TV screens or via social media as the young repeat the wrongs of their elders. Teachings are needed, and songs like this, just as Rage Against The Machine did, are required to make people understand history and to avoid previous mistakes.
I wasn’t quite prepared for a song about the ‘All-American’ hero John Wayne and actor Kevin Costner, but Mythical Cowboys exposes the truth that so many won’t face up to. It has the scathing line of ‘Kevin Costner, where you at; you got your cowboy hat?’ as they expose the dramatisation and falsehoods surrounding their own history. White Whine is a very clever song, with Deal seamlessly blending his performance art with thought-provoking words to make people think about what is happening around them.
We need more of this, and Dead Pioneers need to be on the tips of everyone’s tongues…
Juicy Fruit (Ode to Chief Bromden) is written about the character in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, which the band believe is ‘one of the most important films in providing some progression of humanising Native people in cinema’, it’s a mellower song and in stark contrast to STFU which stirs the angry pot once more time. Bloodletting Carnival feels a bit darker at the beginning with more spoken word social commentary about how ‘our children are holding the line of our moral ineptitude’ and talking about the Second Amendment.
The composition is perfectly in tune with the lyrics and then it gets a bit more energetic with Love Language featuring Ren Aldridge from the Petrol Girls. With powerful lyrics such as ‘your sexism is going to kill us all’, it feels so appropriate for what is currently happening.
Fire And Ash is soothing and potent in its execution whereas Working Class Warfare is a fierce song with a different perspective, and the brilliant album is wrapped up with the smoothness of Until Spoken Word No. 2, a song where Deal describes ‘pointing out the common, and seemingly strange aspect of being a Native person in a western world’.
Overall, it’s a thought-provoking set of songs and narratives designed to push people out of their comfort zone, read more books and challenge deeply rooted flaws in their own society. We need more of this, and Dead Pioneers need to be on the tips of everyone’s tongues. It truly is an album for right now.
Label: Hassle Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Matthew Williams
