Music
The Two Koreas
Altruists
Unfamiliar
Kevin Ritchie (CHARTattack)
12/12/2006 8:19am

Lately, post-punk's
sardonic sneer has been co-opted by either boring Joy Division
fetishism or non-threatening bassline bands like Franz Ferdinand and
The Futureheads. Toronto's The Two Koreas' sound and aesthetic harks
back to the perky and playfully political post-punk music from late
'70s and early '80s, namely acts like The Prefects, Swell Maps and The
Homosexuals. Although its Cold War theme feels a bit random, Altruists
is refreshingly brash and cynical. It's also consistently filled with
the kind of pointed, catchy and energetic melodies that would do well
on a variety of thematic mix tapes (or iPod playlists or whatever).
Nowadays, cynics have gone the way of cigarettes; outmoded and derided
as a danger to productive society. Rock is in need of a little cocky
insolence. So it's appropriate these qualities should come from a band
largely made up of a bunch of music critics.
Two Koreas Release Radio Sessions
Toronto rockers The Two Koreas will make some radio recordings available in a more permanent…