Steal This Record

At the time Steal This Record dropped in 2001, it had been ten years since the Suicide Machines formed in Detroit, MI. In those ten years, the band had toured heavily, opening for such acts as No Doubt and Rancid, and put three discs under its belt before dropping Steal This Record. Upon hearing the first single release, the punk/modern rock anthem "Killing Blow," you wonder why the group hadn't broken through. The Suicide Machines are a bad-ass punk act — the title track races on, leaving your disc platter smoking when it's done — with a contemporary edge (think Lit or the Offspring). Its socially defiant lyrics and fun speedy guitar- and drum-racing music make the band a shoo-in for modern, college, alternative, and traditional rock stations. The best evidence of this is the Suicide Machines' raunchy and in-your-face cover of R.E.M.'s hit "It's the End of the World (And I Feel Fine)." Alien Ant Farm remade Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" in 2001; this is a similar instance and the song is as, if not more, worthy of airplay. And just to shake things up a bit, the Suicide Machines even offer up some reggae on the charming "Stand Up." Do yourself, and this band, a favor — don't steal, but buy this record.