I love bands that have lots of variety in their sound — musical range is always a plus in my book. Dead To Me has crammed 13 contrasting songs in their second full-length album, and if it weren’t for the vocals, I would have assumed that each song was played by a different band.

The first track, simply called “X,” gives the illusion that we’re dealing with ska-reggae group, but once track two starts we realize that we have been fooled. Songs like “Liebe Liese” and “Fell Right In” sound like those classic punk songs found in between the mid-1970s to the early 1980s.

As the album progresses to its end, songs begin to sound more modern, calmer and more alike; there’s more use of acoustic guitar. But then we’re taken by surprise by the heavy distortion and aggression of the end track, “Blue.” Truthfully, it’s impossible to judge Dead To Me by listening to one song.

(Fat Wreck Chords, PO Box 193690, San Francisco, CA 94119)

Click here to download “A Day Without a War” by Dead To Me