Suffer
Greg Graffin makes speed sound articulate on Suffer. Bad Religion race through fifteen short songs, yet the voice remains clear and melodic enough to give each argument a shape. The guitars provide force and momentum; the singing makes the force memorable. It is a compact record with a considerable amount happening inside its limits.
You Are (The Government) establishes the approach immediately. The performance is fast, the melody is direct, and Graffin ends the song with a held phrase that gives the rush a human centre. 1000 More Fools fits more complicated language into the same tight frame without making the tune feel like a delivery system for an essay. The band's social criticism matters because it is attached to music with a clear physical purpose.
The title track shows how much detail Graffin can find within a brief performance. A small change in the way he holds and releases a note gives the chorus a lasting identity. When? uses a similarly active melody, making the voice seem to move around the guitar attack rather than simply follow it. The harmonies add another point of recognition, giving the songs an inviting quality without softening the frustration behind them.
There is little variation in pace across most of the album. That can make the first few songs seem like different versions of one idea, and some of the guitar figures are familiar enough to reveal the limits of the method. Best for You and the more measured What Can You Do? provide useful changes, showing how small adjustments can alter the pressure of the whole sequence.
The short forms work because the band know when a point has landed. Do What You Want does not need a lengthy development to make its refusal clear. Suffer is powerful through that discipline: strong melodies, concise writing and playing that gets to the next useful moment quickly. Its anger has direction, and its intelligence never prevents the songs from being enjoyable.
