Nakatomi Plaza
“Private Property”
(BD Records / Immigrant Sun)
Is anything really private anymore? What can you really own that nobody can take from you? Most people don’t own their cars, homes, or just about anything over a grand-credit card companies do. Thanks to Kazza, Morpheus, etc., most recording artists don’t own their music either. For us, it’s good that Nakatomi Plaza’s “Private Property” is available to everyone, because this one really rocks the house.
The ten tracks here weave their way between aggressively active punk and subdued, staccato screamo. Granted, that line has been blurred quite a bit recently, but tracks like “Next Bus to New Orleans” certainly embody some of the softer elements we’ve seen from acts like Armchair Martian. That being said, “Private Property” has much more in common with the overtly kinetic sounds of Taking Back Sunday than anything else, which isn’t really a bad thing.
Without being too heavy on the political front, songs like “Our Hero Exits Stage Left…” and “For Me to Live Happily, You Must Die” capture the straightforward, streetwise sound that has made Nakatomi Plaza such a hit back East. While it won’t stick with you forever (like your credit rating will), “Private Property” is fun while it lasts.
