Symmetrical Distortion

My first memory of hearing Social Distortion was in a sweaty underground weight room the summer after my freshman year of high school. Songs like "Bad Luck" and "99 to Life" provided a gritty, oddly motivational background to lifting, and fit almost perfectly with the dilapidated surroundings. Many things have changed in my life since that time, but Social Distortion, despite multiple line-up changes, has mostly stayed with the same consistent formula. On "Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes", they continue to produce their own unique blend of punk, rockabilly, country, and blues-rock.

"Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes" begins with "Road Zombie", an instrumental track that reassures the listener that Social Distortion has not abandoned their bread-and-butter sound, and sets the table for things to come. Next is "California", a weaving ditty dealing with the adversity-followed-by-redemption theme so prevalent in Social D's lyrics. This concept is perfectly exemplified when lead-singer Mike Ness rhetorically croons, "What's life without a little pain?" Later on is "Machine Gun Blues", a fast-paced rocker about a 1930s thug who leaves a wide path of carnage wherever he goes, sung with the same unapologetic tone that Ness uses to make abhorrent behavior actually sound cool. The rousing "Can't Take it With You" contains my favorite lyric of the album, "Never see a hearse with a luggage rack", emphasizing the concept of living in the moment and belying the axiom of a penny saved is a penny earned.

It may have been seven years since Social Distortion's last studio release, but "Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes" sounds almost as if no time has passed. This album is the same old Social D, with likable guitar riffs, up-tempo jams, and Mike Ness's signature scratchy voice. There may be nothing groundbreaking or particularly innovative on "Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes", but long-time fans will find it comfortably familiar. And, if I happen to find myself riding in the open box of an old pickup, cruising down a dusty section line with a beer in one hand and a smoke in the other, then a little Social Distortion on the radio would still fit just right.