Then again, without Woody Guthrie there would be no Bob Dylan, and without Dylan... well, there are too many outstanding artists to mention. When you start with a strong foundation there are few limits to how far or wide you can build.
Hail Social plays a more rockist version of the danceable guitar pop that's been buttering MTV's bread for the last few years. They've got the four-on-the-floor beats and prominently snakey bassline melodies to get toes tapping, plus loud chattery guitars to add texture and keep harmony. Singer and guitar player Dayve Hawk describes their sound on AAM as "80s roller-skating music played by a metal band." The key to his metal reference may lie in his own voice which pushes through with a clarity and ambition seldom heard from their more-dead-panned-and-dapper-than-though contemporaries. And you could easily supplant most of the songs into a Don Johnson or Kevin Bacon feature - you know, the part where the guy is running really fast out of some sort of frustration, or working hard at a dead end job but sees the bigger picture.
Their success in the long run will depend on the longevity of the New New Wave as led by the raft of bands currently mining 80s alt-pop and 70s disco and punk. Without Joy Division and Bowie there wouldn't be Franz Ferdinand and Interpol. No Interpol, no Killers, etc... And without those bands to define the scene Hail Social might stand out, for better or worse, as a musical anomaly or a shining example of how the kids are gonna rock - if they get a record deal at all. It's catchy and loads of amped up fun but it feels like it's living right on the surface with little mystery or charism to invite a deeper look.
Also an easy candidate for worst album cover of the year. Maybe ever.
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