Review: One Man Army - Dead End Stories and Last Spoken Word

San Francisco's One Man Army were the first band signed to Billy Joe Armstrong's vanity label Adeline. Dead End Stories came out in 1998 and Last Spoken Word was from 2000. They have a third album on BYO from 2002.

This is well done punk revival of a melodic, lads-will-be-lads style that combines some Clash, Stiff Little Fingers and Sham 69. I like it but only a few songs at a time. I appreciate good nth-wave bands like this but don't take much interest beyond that.

Jack Dalyrymple's singing reminds me of pop-punk sillies The Beatnik Termites, and maybe they have more in common than one would think. They both play pleasant, catchy yet semi-generic songs. I love the old UK stuff but when American bands pretend they're victims of a class system an ocean away I can only stare and periodically blink.

The second album moves into Dropkick Murphys territory, a natural progression. I imagine by now they've recorded some Oi Oi Oi choruses. I could be wrong but I never listen when told I am.