Listen! Nashville's review of the new album!

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Mat Burke, Kill or Be Killed, 2010 (Indie, Self Released) (5 of 5 stars)

Mat Burke's advance copy of Kill or Be Killed landed on my desk well over a month ago, and since that time the disc hasn't left my cd player. Burke points to Dylan as his biggest influence, but a close second is Rancid. Throw in his current musical hero and contemporary Frank Turner and you've got something interesting to say the least.

Indeed, Kill or Be Killed is intelligent and thought-provoking, with stinging lyrics reminiscent of the early folk movement but with a dark self-loathing that at times recalls Pink Floyd's The Wall. This is Burke's debut full-length record and it's a powerful introduction. Burke has really achieved something remarkable in this record by delivering a pastiche of traditional folk (appropriately taking aim at the US government) and edgy punk-inspired bouts of deep depression and insecurity. The end result is like nothing you've ever heard before. Some will point to Conor Oberst or Roger Waters, but there's something more to Burke, and I believe it's his devotion to Dylan that sets him apart. When Burke points to Dylan as an influence he's not just citing him out of obligation. Rather, Burke is entirely fluent in all things Dylan, which means Burke understands Guthrie. Burke's music, therefore, brings a level of genuine vulnerability heard so clearly in all of Guthrie's songs, and rarely heard since.

In sum, Kill or Be Killed is a formidable debut from a young songwriter firmly rooted in the prophetic folk-rock tradition. Both political and emotional, Kill or Be Killed will remain relevant for years to come.

— Vincent Wynne, January 18, 2010

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