Steve Lieberman – Overthrow The Government (CD)

Maybe some year I will get caught up with the Steve Lieberman discography, but as of this review I’m still a disc behind. The best thing that is present on the CD from a cursory glance would have to be the description of Lieberman’s moods during the different part of the CDs; with this mentioned, I can start to tune in a little more specifically about what specifically I like and dislike about Lieberman. The disc itself seems to have been recorded at a slightly higher level than the rest of the discs previously reviewed by NeuFutur; it is not surprising then that the introductory track (“Stickshifts, VCR’s & Cassettes”) is a great introduction for those that may not be familiar with the Gangsta Rabbi’s work.

“Get It! Get It!…” is a track that could have succeeded a little further with a minor shift to the production style; draw Lieberman’s vocals back and put up the volume of the instrumentation to create a track that would build further off of the momentum created during the introductory track. “Night”, a cover of the Bruce Springsteen track, keeps listeners guessing as to where exactly Lieberman will take eir fanbase next. Where a number of tracks on “Overthrow The Government” tend to cluster around a specific set of sounds and influences, it is these deviations from the mean (also seen during Lieberman’s cover of the Jim Carroll band and The Who) that make the disc shine brighter than normal.

The energy exerted by the latter tracks on “Overthrow The Government” is something that will make listeners wait for Lieberman’s follow-up. This is particularly noticeable during “Enemy of My state”, which marries Lieberman’s unique style with a tempo more appropriate to a thrash song. This is followed up by the equally intense but slower in tempo “Dinosaur Rockers May Have E.D.”; the strung-out nature of this track will ensure that fans keep the track on repeat to properly understand what it is that Lieberman is trying to do with this track. Lieberman has really started to fall into a groove with these last few recordings; “Overthrow The Government” should be sought out and purchased alongside “Psych Ward” and “Shake The Missile Base”. The music that Lieberman creates may be a little hard to get into, but the honesty of this work here is something that should be lauded and commended.

Rating: 6.5/10

Steve Lieberman – Overthrow The Government / 2008 Self / 22 Tracks / http://www.gangstarabbi.com