It is difficult to assign the band Defiance, Ohio (based in Bloomington, IN) to one particular genre. They have definite punk attributes, including politically-oriented lyrics, vocal grittiness, and the straightforward and often up-tempo beat from the drums and guitars. However, in including a violin, cello, acoustic guitar, occasional banjo, whistling, harmonica, and alternating vocals between male and female singers, they also have folk-like qualities. They are also much less aggressive-sounding than what one typically associates with punk music. The result is quite fun to listen to!

All 13 tracks on their latest release, The Great Depression, are wonderful. There’s great variability between the songs as well. The lyrics are great, and one can easily understand what they are saying (don’t you hate it when you can’t understand the lyrics?). Take “Petty Problems”: “There are many kinds of problems, not all of them are like yours / or mine, but I forget that all the time. / Oh, drama, are you all in my head. / My problems are really not that bad / So distracted by the things that I don’t have—how sad!” The group sings together over the upbeat rhythm section and the melodic violin.

“Enough” is one of my favorites as well, with a freight train tempo that pauses for a lovely cello and violin duo. “Oh, Susquehanna!” laments sprouting (and boring) cul-de-sac subdivisions (“forced it into a grid ‘til it looked like the funny pages… and the punch lines are resoundingly unfunny”) in fields where they played as kids and where there had been a cemetery (“and I wonder, what do they do with the bodies?”). “Lambs at the Slaughter” is tongue-in-cheek funny (though it ends on a sad note): “We are sheep in wolves’ clothing, with big important friends… who secure the greenest pastures with their business acumens, so you graze on the grasses and you’re spared from ever thinking or from knowing why your friends are always snickering and winking.”

I should add that, because of their tone and style, they can say all these things without sounding the least bit pretentious, preachy, or trite. You feel like you’re at a square dance, and you don’t mind because you’re talking with a friendly, like-minded neighbor. You can download all of the songs at http://defianceohio.terrorware.com/, or you can purchase the cd at a variety of websites you can find at the site.