Currently undertaking a little project, inspired by a friend, where I listen through the Bad Religion discography.
Bad Religion's second album Into the Unknown is their follow up to debut How Could Hell Be Any Worse?
From the warbling swell that starts the album's jumpy anthem "It's Only Over When…" ItU is unabashedly not a punk album, in the traditional mode. The prog tinged synth escapades cross 8 tracks and clock in at just under 33 minutes. Slower in pace than their previous releases the songs on ItU don't dwell in their larges, a fair critique of prog/new-wave, but shuffle along informed by Bad Religion's punk roots. "The Dichotomy," in particular, has a forward momentum that takes advantage of the additional sound space.
Lyrically Into the Unknown has been critiqued for straying from the socio-political commentary of Bad Religion's other efforts. Although there is definitely a cosmic flair to the album many of the songs track with the band's pointed pov. Misanthropic, perhaps, narrative, yes, rooted in anti-capitalism "Losing Generation" is the best example of the costumed take on the group's attitudes.
"The systems of life hum accordingly
Every day, every year, every century
But everywhere humans go, things get worse and worse
Can't you tell through the smoke of the dirty city?
The jungle was once a tranquil hideaway
For the king of the trees and the mountains themselves
But man those things sell a million dollars a pound
Cut 'em up, dry 'em out, good display for the shelves
Why can't we just leave them alone?
Who is the animal?
Who is that dangerous beast?
Why were the other ones made?
I know it wasn't just for our feast
And now they're down to 250 lone souls
They're a breed of a losing generation, it seems
The killers are ourselves so you know who to blame
It was man with his plan and his frightening greed"
I think this is a great album. I can definitely understand why a punk purist and/or a Bad Religion devotee might dislike the work. It's an oddity in Bad Religion's discography and doesn't seem to get much positive attention, I think that's a shame. Minor Threat's Out of Step is probably the best, capital p, Punk album to come out in 1983 and if that's the measure for punk albums then Into the Unknown doesn't ever get a fair shot. Appreciated on it's own merits and coming to it without a known is what truly allows the album to shine.
