Restless
1982
Beneath the Shadows
About This Album
Though True Sounds of Liberty are on Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label, they should not be misconstrued as hardcore. T.S.O.L. is a terrific rock & roll band which has its own style and unique presentation, a punch that obliterates tired clichés and music without direction. The title track, "Beneath the Shadows," swims in perfect production from Thom Wilson, the slashing guitars finding a bed of other sounds to complement their bite. Jack Delauge's vocals have the right amount of angst and questioning of his plight on that tune as well as on "Walk Alone" on side two. "Soft Focus" opens the disc with a charging blitz which is one part Buzzcocks, two parts T.S.O.L. Where Texans the Delinquents were content to backup Lester Bangs or glorify the B-52's, True Sounds of Liberty really do sound as their name suggests, free from the constraints of redundant copying. So what if drummer Todd Scrivener can't do a drum roll, there's something solid and very rock & roll at work here. Be it the clever nuances of Greg Kuehn's keyboards in "Forever Old" or the smart intensity of the instrumental which opens side two, "Glass Streets," the band creates a mood which at times sounds like Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark battling the Clash.
Track List

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.