Punk Rock: Mando Diao's Hurricane Bar

Critics of the Clash have accused them of being too pop to be punk—a pompous punk attitude which doesn’t recognize how the Clash brought punk to the mainstream consciousness. The Swedish band Mando Diao plays pop rock with Clash punk intensity. The songs are accessible, stanard rock songs like bands have been doing since the Beatles codified the form. However, Mando Diao slams through those pop rock songs kicking and screaming. “Cut the Rope” and “Clean Town” feature Clash-like gang vocals, shouted like a band from a warehouse district who is used to playing gig beneath the train tracks.

Mando Diao (the name is apparently nonsense) has the ability to follow the punk intensity through its many incarnation. The Clash is just the beginning. “God Knows” gets bluesy in that Oasis, quintessential English Rock way. The blues punk sound also shows up in “The Dream is Over.” The Kinks are also lurking here, such as in the slacker blues of “Added Family,” which includes some faux-Western 60’s “whoo”-ed vocals. Then there’s some AltCountry leanings on “White Wall,” a throw down rocker like the Old 97’s when they get revved up.

“Kingdom & Glory” has a guitar line very similar to the Cure’s “Boys Don’t Cry, but the gang vocals on the chorus could Monkees-inspired. Only Mando Diao could combine those sounds, bringing out the punk lines from the original goths and Neil Diamond in the same song.

Following the punk intensity through these many forms makes Hurricane Bar a truly exciting album. “Down in the Past” captures the intensity. Urgent guitars on the chorus give way to drum and bass on the verses. There’s a classic rock hint in the guitars, a punch-a-fist tempo, and melodic punk to top it all off. With all of that, Mando Diao should conquer the world.

Thanks to Mando Diao, EMI Sweden, and Mute for the review copy.