Apparently The Last Internationale have been around for more than a decade, yet I first heard of them just last month: I got tickets for Kiss' concert in Ziggo Dome Amsterdam, and wanted to check the support band to determine what time to arrive. I liked what I read about them, as well as the clips on youtube. It also turned out that they had already supported another classic rock band I saw live: The Who, in 2015. I missed them then, because I had finished working late and got to Ziggo Dome just before the headliners came onstage. This time I made sure to be on time (only missed a few minutes of their show), and was really impressed by their performance: a very dynamic garage/ hard rock band, whose confident and energetic frontwoman sounds like a mix of Patti Smith and Aretha Franklin. How the fuck did that band miss out on rock stardom?
It seems that, when they released their major label debut We Will Reign, they were on their way to wider international recognition: Having paid their dues playing their rebel songs for smaller audiences, the New York duo of singer/bassist Delila Paz and guitarist Edgey Pires had become increasingly self-assured, moving from folk protest songs to MC5-inspired maximum rock and soul. They came to the attention of another radical musician/political agitator, Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello, who linked them to former RATM drummer Brad Wilk and producer Brendan O' Brien. With Wilk joining on drums, and with O' Brien and (Jack White associate) Brendan Benson producing, they recorded this CD for a major label (Epic/Sony) and went on tour supporting rock legends like Robert Plant and The Who. Then something must have gone wrong. Being an incendiary live act (I can testify to that), their exposure to large audiences should have taken them on the road to stardom. Instead, they left Sony and went back to releasing the rest of their (difficult to find, now) albums independently. Was it a belated crisis of conscience about working for a multinational? RATM never had such problems: they broadcast their anti-establishment messages loud and clear, never fussing over who it is that distributes them to the masses. Anyway, The Last Internationale are still quite active as a live act - if you have the chance to see them play, don't miss it. This album opens with one of their strongest songs "Life, Liberty, And the Pursuit of Indian Blood". Reminding us that the U.S. were built on the backs of Indian genocide and black slave labor, they call for a new beginning that's not based on injustice. Musically there are echoes of The Who, Led Zeppelin, and The Patti Smith Group. "We Will Reign" is slightly slower and groovier with chanted backing vocals. "Wanted Man" is the album's most commercial track, which isn't a bad thing: a rhythmic piece with soulful vocals and twangy guitar, it was rightly chosen as lead single: easy on the ears, with a video that's easy on the eyes, it made for perfect promotional material. It's followed by a tougher beast called "Killing Fields" - here the RATM connection becomes more evident, especially on the drums and guitars. The next songs turn down the decibels just a bit: mid-tempo "Battleground" and "I'll Be Alright", 60's cover "Baby It's You", and acoustic ballad "Devil's Dust" are immaculately produced, with Paz's soulful delivery on full display, but the explosiveness of their live performances is absent. "Fire" 's harmonica and heavy blues riffs bring some of the fire back. The album closes just as it started, with a politically charged punk soul dynamite. This one's called "1968". The band used it to close their set at Ziggo Dome, giving Pires the chance to let rip on guitar, briefly stealing the spotlight from his charismatic bandmate: while the band all have a good onstage presence, it's Paz's moves that attract all the attention - even when she's abandoned the stage, joining the audience and singing from among the crowd. It's a pity that the excitement of their live concerts can't come across in their recordings. O' Brien and Benson are excellent producers but in this case they may have erred on the side of caution, "cleaning up" the band's sound too much. Or maybe they tried to distinguish The Last Internationale from other female-fronted hard rock/garage/soul bands: if the record was a bit rowdier, you might mistake it for The Bellrays. A bit bluesier, for the Alabama Shakes. But what really sets this band apart from the others in their niche, is their lyrics: although they've moved away from it sonically, Pires and Paz's songs are still deeply rooted to the progressive American folk tradition of the 60's. The new incarnation of the band has won me over: the addition of second guitar and keys makes for a fuller sound, there's a bigger R&B influence in the vocals, and -despite losing Wilk who returned to RATM- the overall sound is more dynamic than on the CD. I look forward to seeing them play again, and to listening to more of their recordings.
**** for Life Liberty And the Pursuit of Indian Blood, We Will Reign, Wanted Man, Killing Fields, Fire, 1968 *** for Battleground, Baby It's You, Devil's Dust, I'll Be Alright
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