The mysterious original screamo supergroup United Nations have been surrounded in controversy since their inception. Their Myspace page doesn't exist anymore because it was deleted, as was their Facebook page. Nobody really knows who contributes instrumentally to the band, as the only official member is Geoff Rickley (Thursday), but rumour has it that Ben Koller (Converge), Daryl Palumbo (Glassjaw), Christopher Conger (The Number Twelve Looks Like You) and a number of other, undisclosed artists were a part of their self-titled debut a couple of years back. The controversy doesn't seem to stop there, considering their new EP title "Never Mind The Bombings, Here's Your Six Figures" and its artwork share more than a little in common with Sex Pistols' classic "Never Mind The Bollocks, Here Come The Sex Pistols", but hey, I'm sure they'll get the joke more than The Beatles did considering how the debut's original artwork featured "Abbey Road", except everyone walking across the road was on fire.

Four songs span across just eleven minutes, but that's the perfect dose of Thursday meets Converge meets emo-powerviolence chaos you need to appreciate this outfit. "Pity Animal" opens the dealings as a violent, chaotically crazy screamo track that has a soft, Thursday-esque emotional quiet section in the middle before the guitars crash into melodic scales and Converge-style semi-clean shouts later. Geoff Rickley's screams are as good as ever here, perhaps even better than on their debut album, riveting in desperation and deep-throat screaming. There's a ridiculous amount of emotion charged to the delivery, and you can tell that the whole band is on the verge of explosion throughout the album. "O You Bright & Risen Angels" brings in punk rock speeds and a d-beat, albeit one that's spiced up with (presumably) Koller's crazy fills and rolls, and essentially more of the same controlled chaos this band is known for.

The other two tracks follow suit in both composition and quality, but yet it's difficult to point what it is exactly that makes United Nations so good. Is it the low-fi production that leaves the insanely screamed vocals purposefully on the back and highlights the guitar lines and crazy drum rhythms? Is it the passionate energy that all songs are played with? Perhaps the superb usage of quiet/loud dynamic to create explosive sections that are supplemented by great build ups? Whatever it is, there's no denying that United Nations are still a force to be reckoned with, and with a rumoured new studio album "The Dark Side Of The UN" in the works, things can only get better from here onwards. [7½]
Download: Pity Animal
For the fans of: Traktor, Thursday, The Monaco Heartattack, Pianos Become The Teeth
Listen: N/A

Release date 23.06.2010
Deathwish, Inc

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