¡forward, russia! - "twelve" (from the twelve single, import available for preorder here.)

"¡forward, burma!" is more like it--or myanmar, if we're being au courant--as "twelve" is frighteningly, and hearteningly, similar to conley, miller & co. ca.vs.. hell, there's even a reference to einstein. i've brought in my m.o.b. albums into work to play for a co-worker who's into a bunch of young bands, a new one every week it seems, who really couldn't exist w/o the blueprint laid out by the mission. "that's when i reach for my revolver" comes on; he recognizes it; later, he admits that he prefers the moby version. well, ¡forward, russia! may be a missing link band : the vocals are just that much louder and the guitars slightly, but only slightly, more jolting. ¡forward, russia! really is more like it, a u.k. band taking its influence from postpunk america rather than from the sounds that originated on their own shores. "i hope you're aware that people will notice the forgery," the vocalist sings, w/ perhaps some degree of self-awareness; on the evidence, though, one is hard-pressed to call it an outright forgery. startling similarities, to be sure, but it's hard to care about the influence when the results are so arresting--and easy to appreciate this band.