オーソリティ・ゼロの大ヒット・デビュー作『ア・パッセージ・イン・タイム』に続く約1年半ぶりの2ndアルバム！あのライアン・グリーン（NOFX）とミギュエル（サブライム、アンリトゥン・ロー）がプロデュースを手掛ける今作『Andiamo』（イタリア語で“さぁ行こう！”の意）は、オフスプリングやサブライムといったバンド達へのリスペクトを感じさせるパワフルさに加え、キャッチーなメロディとウィットに富んだ歌詞にお得意の“パンク・スカ”の美学が見事に注入された内容。ジャケット・アートワークは、有名画家ノーマン・ロックウェルによる初期の傑作『遊泳禁止』にガス・マスクや入れ墨、アメリカ国旗をのせてリメイクした強烈な諷刺画調な仕上がりに。“現状に逆らう”叙情詩とも言える本作で、オーソリティ・ゼロがストリートに向けて“革命”を起こす！

タワーレコード （2009/04/08）

Arizona punks Authority Zero return with their second Lava/Atlantic release, and it's a good one. Rather than pretending they're post-everything or pop-something, Andiamo basks Authority's West Coast soul in the dry desert sunlight, stripping tracks like "Painted Windows" and "Revolution" to their Bad Religion and Green Day roots while spicing others with ska, reggae, and Spanish influences. Robust harmonies support the grainy power of Jason DeVore's lead vocal throughout, and Bill Marcks' guitar lines are always built for speed and economy. Best of all, producer Ryan Greene (No Use for a Name, Nerf Herder) stays out of the way, going for that even-levels sound familiar to any fan of the Cali punk and hardcore canon. Authority Zero's reggae and ska influences have never been superficial novelties, and on Andiamo, they take up a sizable portion of the set list. "Madman" mixes up beats with muscular punk chording, while "Retreat"'s dubby reggae intersects with wiry ska-core and bleary-eyed surf guitar. Authority also reveal more than a sonic connection to the Sublime/Long Beach Dub Allstars throne, offering the turntable and percussion skills of that collective's Marshall Goodman on a completely unironic cover of the Wall of Voodoo classic "Mexican Radio." Other album highlights include the rapid-fire blasts "Society's Sequence" and "Siempre Loco"; a bonus live run through "Rattlin' Bog" will have you catching your breath. Rather than skating by on punk rehash and generic ska grooves, Authority Zero prove there's still energy in both, and a certain vitality in keeping things simple. ~ Johnny Loftus

Rovi