Well, this is kind of a big deal: Radioactivity, one of the most acclaimed and influential garage/punk/pop bands of a generation, has released its first new album in a decade. Man, did Silent Kill really come out ten years ago? Time flies when you're having fun! Just for context, some of the other big albums of 2015 were The Connection's Labor of Love, Night Birds' Mutiny at Muscle Beach, and Kurt Baker's Play It Cool. How long ago was 2015? It was so long ago that being against fascism was still common sense, not a partisan position.
I suppose waiting a decade between LPs is a great way to solve the problem of the "difficult third album"! Granted, Time Won't Bring Me Down was recorded over a long period of time. So it's not like Jeff Burke waited ten years to write a new batch of songs. But still, the considerable space between Silent Kill and Time Won't Bring Me Down has allowed for a natural progression in Radioactivity's sound. There are still quite a few songs here that "sound like Radioactivity." The title track, "Watch Me Bleed," "Why," and "One Day" all find Burke (along with bandmates Daniel Fried, Gregory Rutherford, and Mark Ryan) putting on a clinic on how fast, hook-laden punk-pop ought to sound. Burke's musical style has been frequently imitated, and it's nice to be reminded that he's still the master. But at least half of this album is a significant progression from Silent Kill. Songs like "This Time" and "Ignorance Is Bliss" sound like classic Radioactivity but with more pace and breathing room — perhaps less punk-pop and more pure pop. "Analog Ways" and "I Thought" find the band firmly and comfortably in indie pop territory. "Shell," which approaches five minutes in running time, is such an ambitiously intense track that you might find yourself asking what band you're listening to. Album closer "Pain" is a moody, masterfully-crafted slow-burner.
The appropriately-titled Time Won't Bring Me Down is here to assert that Radioactivity is back with a vengeance and poised to remain a vital force in the contemporary music scene. Far from merely rehashing his past glories, Jeff Burke is still growing and evolving as a songwriter — while still holding on to enough of his signature style to keep everyone happy. This album sets in place a seamless transition from what Radioactivity once was to what Radioactivity will be in the future. This is a genuinely modern punk rock record and a truly masterful effort. For fans of Jeff Burke and Radioactivity, this was absolutely worth the wait.
