Review: The Ain't No Mountain High Enough - This is going on.

The Ain’t No Mountain High Enough is hardcore punk band based out of Washington, D.C.. I wanted to clear that up right away because their moniker confuses the hell out of me. I expect more and less. Either lose the “The” and the apostrophe, or add an ‘s’ to the end. Something's got to give! 

The titling issues continue with the name of this release. This is going on. It’s an incomplete sentence and I’m not sure why. Why aren’t there more capital letters? Why is there a period at the end? This shit is breaking my brain! Is everything Marvin Gaye related on purpose? It’s got to be.

Fortunately, and more importantly, the contents of the eleven track release are evidence that the band, whatever they are called, are better at rocking than talking. Their brand of anthemic styled hardcore punk is both interesting and catchy. Their sound is largely in line with the melodic hardcore that D.C. is known for. The first comparison that came to mind was Artificial Peace, but Marginal Man, featuring some of the same members, would be a better fit. Even better yet, how about Gray Matter?

There is a lot of suitable comparisons, none will fit like a glove, but all can be stuffed into the burlap sack of classic melodic hardcore punk. Bad Religion, Misfits, and especially Murphy’s Law are in The Ain’t No Mountain High Enough DNA. There is also a lot of Shelter in several choruses that I can’t deny. 

Is it good though? It sure is! Though I’d argue that this style of hardcore or even punk in general seems to have a diminishing audience. The Ain’t No Mountain High Enough is for those that enjoy the classic sounds of both hardcore and punk. There are some clunky transitional moments on This is going on., but that’s par for the course on any record in this style.

If you consider yourself a punk rocker, hardcore kid, or both, you’ll enjoy this record. If you don’t, it’ll be over in about twenty minutes anyhow. Either way, good luck getting through it without one of the earworm hooks embedding in your brain.

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