Beware the reformed punk band, too often more concerned with raising funds than consciousness. The abrupt resurrection of Dag Nasty, the D.C. melodic hardcore gang a full decade removed from its last album, ain’t exactly a Sex Pistols-style rock and roll swindle, but these cats certainly didn’t reform and cut the brand-spankin’-new Minority of One to make a bombastic, dog-launching cultural statement.
For a band with such a pedigree (past and present bands: Bad Religion, Down by Law, Fugazi, Minor Threat) and sphere of influence (such old Dischord releases as Wigged Out at Denko’s are credited with helping to kick-start emo), Minority feels curiously static. You’ll dig the fired-up melodic punk edge these dudes thrive on, and the nervous “Ghosts” is a great way to start the nostalgia trip: “Everything I do/Everywhere I go/I see a memory of what we used to know.” But the riffs and hooks mostly belly-flop, and prodigal frontman Dave Smalley sounds a bit nasal and lame as he hopscotches through standard-issue punk statements. This reunion trip isn’t offensive, but there’s not much offense either.
This article appears in Jul 17-23, 2002.