Division of Laura Lee
Violence is timeless
I Made This
After a short, eccentric choice for an opener ("Caress/Hotnights", a track that would not have been out of place on Nirvana's "Incesticide"), "Violence is timeless" continues to bristle alive with "LAX". Combining the youthful energy of garage and punk with the sensibility of indie rock, "LAX" is a dark track that effortlessly exudes a sense of 'cool' that has been lacking from much of the contemporary scene, most likely because it feels a little more aligned with the energetic efforts of Iggy Pop than more recent efforts to combine early punk with the trendy indie movement. From the opening two tracks, the album continues to show the development of Division of Laura Lee. The title track continues to expound the album's darker tendencies, driving onwards with the purpose of bands like Convoj and The End Will Be Kicks. The lyrics from which the album derives its title -- "It makes sense to die young, back where I come from violence is timeless" -- perfectly exemplify the strange balance between cynicism, melancholy and passion that the band successfully marries. Tracks like "Anytime" and especially "3 guitars", my favorite track on the record, show the influence that artists like Sonic Youth and Pavement continue to have on contemporary music. The ending track, "Do you love me", a fantastic homage to Fugazi's "Do you like me", ends the album on a strange note similarly to how it opened, and it shouldn't be any other way. "Violence is timeless" is an exceptional album, one that reminds us of the soundtracks that led us here, that continue to push us forward.
- Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
