The Law: A Measure of Wealth
Dundee, Scotland’s The Law released their debut album back in September, 2009 through their own label, Local Boy Records. You may have heard their music what with the use of various of their songs in commercials and popular television. ABC Family Channel’s show GREEK featured “Still Got Friday to Go” and “Man In the Moon“ . The band’s “Don’t Stop, Believe” was chosen for the European trailer of The Men Who Stare at Goats.
The Indie Rock band’s sound is reminiscent of the classic rock days. Days where the subject matter wasn’t filled with all the nasty things that modern rock bands seem to advertise. You won’t find any specific lyrics advocating “hook-ups” or drugs, or for that matter even drinking. But that doesn’t mean the band isn’t about going out and having a good time. They just talk about in a way that leaves the subtler details out.
To call The Law simpler would be a put down. While most of their tracks remind me of the early Beatles, it isn’t to say that there’s anything wrong with that. Harmonies when done correctly sound well whether they’re played softly or loudly. And the loudest the album gets has to be on “Don’t Stop, Believe”. The short track is about as much of a Rock Anthem as you get out of the band or any sort of a political statement either. The track advocates for freedom fighters to keep fighting, and even for writers to keep writing. You can change the world in whatever way you want, you just have to keep believing.
That’s about as global a message as you get from the album. The rest of the songs deal with regular matters that people run into whether they live in small towns or big cities. “Television Satellite” sounds a bit like country rock, but deals with the disappearance of a friend who just got a satellite for the television. Rather than go out and live life, he just sits at home flipping through the endless channels looking for the next interesting thing on TV. And then there’s “Milk & Honey” which deals with relationships that come about for the wrong reasons. She loves his money, he loves her for eccentricities, neither of which are strong foundations for a lasting relationship. And then its over. “Congratulations” turns into a bit of a country waltz about a man who loses his woman to a better dancer. Still, The Law puts everything they have into their music.
The worst you can say is that “A Measure of Wealth” sounds dated, or old fashioned. It definitely resembles earlier rock music than what the radio stations play today. But in an odd way, that helps The Law to stand out. They’re picking up steam over in Europe and there is no reason that they should fade to obscurity Stateside either. There are a few hiccups on the album that just don’t feel as fun as the rest of the track. But “A Measure of Wealth” is a decent effort from a group of guys who enjoy partying, and hopefully won’t succumb to the pitfalls overindulgence leads to. I’m suggesting you give The Law a serious listen. I’m sure looking forward to what they have to offer in the future.
Rating: 6.4/10
MP3 The Law “The Chase”
Buy: iTunes
The Law: A Measure of Wealth
