The Suicide File Some Mistakes You Never Stop Paying For

Many fans of hardcore consider the Suicide File to be one of the best bands the genre has produced in the last ten years. In under two years, with only one actual "album" to their name, this group of hardcore veterans brought a much needed dose of legitmate fury and intelligence back into a scene obsessed with pointlessly generalized anger, latently misogynistic ideas and outdated macho posturing. Some Mistakes You Never Stop Paying For is a collection of all their recorded material not included on the album Twilight. This includes their original demo, their debut 7", their contributions to two splits and their final 7", Things Fall Apart. It is presented in reverse order here, a choice which is of little consequence to this listener, as all the material here is equally worthwhile. The eighteen tracks contained on this disc (two of which appear twice) represent the legacy of a band unafraid to offend and uninterested in appeasing. This is no bullshit, no holds barred hardcore music. There's no breakdowns and no slick production. The Suicide File's music couldn't be any more effective than it is here, as raw as any hardcore record I've ever heard. It's almost as if these songs could've come from any time between 1985 and now. The only real indicator of an era to be found here are the unabashedly political lyrics of songs like "Ashcroft," "2003," and "Fuck Fox News." In this aspect of their music, the Suicide File stand out among their peers as well. Punk rock always went hand in hand with politics and many hardcore bands seem all too eager to deny their legacy, content instead to tout convictions as empty as the heads of the kids who buy their records. When the Suicide File's Dave Weinberg did turn his lyrical attention inward towards either the hardcore community or his own trials and tribulations, his words were no less scathing or insightful. The blunt lyrics of a track like "The Somme" ("A thousand 'Fuck you's' would never be enough / So I'm only gonna say this once... / Fuck you, I'm never coming back.") combined with the impassioned vocal delivery add up to something simultaneously feral and focused, both pissed off and poignant. Perhaps even more surprising was the Suicide File's ability to pen a hardcore song I hadn't heard before. By borrowing a few pages from their punk rock forefathers and taking a decidedly rock n' roll approach to songwriting, Neeraj Kane came up with riffs that were both fresh and familiar. Even while they were still playing, bands had begun emulating the Suicide File, but since their demise, there has been a recent rash of ill-advised imitators, attempting to strike while the proverbial iron is still relatively hot. Unfortunately, the Suicide File's explosive nature was such that their contribution, however limited in actual length, cannot be replicated. The sincerity of it all was what made it truly great. Much in the way that the Cro-Mags' Age of Quarrel, Integrity's Humanity is the Devil or American Nightmare's Background Music captured and defined an era of hardcore music, Some Mistakes You Never Stop Paying For shines through as the most genuine, original and powerful collection of hardcore songs of the last few years. My only complaint has nothing to do with the music itself, but in fact with what isn't present here. Twilight could've easily fit onto this disc, as well as one of the many high quality live sets recorded during the band's career. While its quite obvious that Indecision probably has at least a few copies of Twilight left that they didn't want to risk taking a hit on, it would've been nice if they had waited a few years and released a complete discography. The inclusion of the demo is nice for completists, but a few live songs also shouldn't have been impossible. I guess what it all boils down to is that I just can't get enough of the Suicide File. Bottom Line: If you care at all about hardcore music, you need to own this record. The Suicide File have come and gone, but the impact of these songs will be felt for years to come.