Album Review: The Last Internationale – “We Will Reign”

By: Robert Liwanag – 

Being a political band today can be incredibly difficult. It’s harder for artists to express anything worthwhile, and easier to express misguided sentiments. Political bands also have the added pressure of wanting to be serious, and taken seriously, without coming across like self-righteous wannabe rebels. To make matters worse, political music just doesn’t sell anymore (not like hedonistic music does, anyway). The Last Internationale knows this, and on their debut We Will Reign, they’re more interested in refining the past than creating something unique.

At first glance, the Last Internationale seems like another group in a long line of politically minded bands. For starters, their name, possibly derived from the 19^th century French left-wing song. Then there are track titles like “1968” – a year famous for its civil unrest among the young and old, in both America and Europe – “Killing Fields” and “Battleground.” To top it all off, the Last Internationale’s drummer is Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine, one of the most overtly political bands in music history. But the Last Internationale has more in common with Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger than they do with the Clash.

‘50s and ‘60s folk music has had an indelible influence on singer Delila Paz and guitarist Edgey Pires, and its earnestness can heard throughout the album. We Will Reign opens with “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Indian Blood,” setting the tone for the band’s mix of hard rock, blues and political preoccupations. “When the sun sets down, gunpowder will wash the streets with Indian blood” is an example of the kind of vivid lyrics Paz beautifully sings, yells and snarls on this record, often against sharp riffs, commanding drums and organs or piano thrown in for good measure.

It’s almost admirable when a band bypasses any form of subtlety and goes straight for the jugular, but the Last Internationale’s lyrics are often far too general to make any lasting impact. Produced by Brendan O’Brien (and executive produced by Tom Morello), We Will Reign is a polished record, perhaps a little too polished, to the point of almost sounding generic. The trio has already been consistently praised for their energetic, unpredictable, punk-influenced live shows, but it doesn’t translate here at all, making We Will Reign sound like an album born out of creative compromise than creative freedom (signing to a major label like Epic Records may have something to do with that).

It’s telling that the album’s stronger moments are more introspective. “Where are the dreams we dreamt of and all the things we wanted and all the time we lost,” Paz sings on “Devil’s Dust.” And on “I’ll Be Alright,” the singer takes matters into her own hands by leaving her man. Just like early Bob Dylan records, rocking tracks balance out with more acoustic and melancholy tunes about lost love and relationships on the brink of failure. They even cover Burt Bacharach’s “Baby It’s You,” which could easily have been filler, but it’s beautiful.

For the most part, We Will Reign is a confident debut from a band with much potential (after all, they’re the opening act for Robert Plant’s upcoming tour). But ultimately, it sounds like the Last Internationale is desperately trying to break through glass. Hopefully in the future, they learn how to make that glass shatter, rather than just crack.

Essential Tracks: “Wanted Man,” “Killing Fields” and “Devil’s Dust”