If you want to bitch-slap the rat-faced triumvirate of A. Jay Popoff (Lit), Derick Whibley (Sum 41) and Tom DeLonge (Blink 182), you're not alone. The fact is, we all do, but Dillinger Four may want it just a little bit more: the commercialization of punk has made their job considerably more difficult. What used to be artistically relevant has been reduced to a mere marketing gimmick, an excuse to spike your hair all cute-like and expose your genitals in public.

Against all odds, Dillinger Four demand to be taken seriously; their previous release, Versus God, said as much. Actually, it said something like: "Hi, we're Dillinger Four. We make hard rocking, hook-laden punk rock. Welcome to our album." And you thanked them when you listened, because it was good-- good in the way NOFX once was. Dillinger Four weren't out to invent or even reinvent anything: they knew what they liked, and they wanted more of it. Their fans sympathized, and should now embrace the follow-up, which, not too surprisingly, doesn't stray too far from its predecessor.

For Dillinger Four, success means freedom. Where some punk bands sound like they don't practice-- which is awfully sad, because why be in band if you don't enjoy it-- Situationist Comedy finds Dillinger Four hitting the same downbeats, riffing in sync, and generally nailing the rock'n'roll vibe. And there are times when their creativity makes the music something more: on "Fired-Side Chat", which fronts the ordinary-- a speed-core verse contrasted against a midtempo chorus-- but strips down to a bass ostinato before building into a four-chord anthem that just skirts emo. "All Rise for the National Anthem" opts for the same speed-punk canvas, embellishing upon it with tightly wound, cyclical guitar riffs and a dash of metal crunch. "Labourissuesinthetoydepartment" digs deeper into the bag of tricks, mimicking a wide-open, atmospheric hardcore vibe (a la Fugazi) before steering back toward a more traditional set of punk rhythms.

Given the state of pop/punk today, Dillinger Four may be impossible to take seriously. That's not to say they don't rock out, just that it may take a few years for prejudices to subside before people finally realize it. The rewards of artistic integrity aren't quite as material or immediate as those enjoyed by the Dillinger Four's glamorous MTV peers, but they certainly are rich.

-Brad Haywood, December 10th, 2002