The Last Conspirators - A Celebration Of Fury Full Album

Jack Rabid, The Big Takeover Magazine - ("A Celebration of Fury" Review)
"Original punks like ex-Morons Tim Livingston don’t grow old, because life is never short on legitimate irritations—and because it’s still fun to kickstart real rock ’n’ roll’s engines with a guitar. Thus the “fury” celebrated on his Hudson Valley, NY band’s third LP (following 2007’s Warparty and 2010’s When It All Comes Down) refers to the on-target attack in word and sound. It’s a ’60s garage, pub rock, and Joe Strummer-fueled tempest, recorded in what sounds like “press-record-’n-go” full-bleed live context; so a boast like “Last One Standing” is 2013’s update to The Clash’s scathing “Last Gang in Town,” maybe. A Link Wray/Wipers-like diatribe “Radio Warfare” is the highlight, but from the single “Powerful Friends” to the call to arms “No Time For Egos,” it’s Fury’s furious, for sure"

Fred Mills, Blurt Magazine - ("A Celebration of Fury" Review)
"*(Four Stars) Veterans of the original punk wars may grow up, get jobs, start families, and even “settle down,” but they never forget—the lessons of their youth, the stands they took, the sustenance they took from being cause-driven. And even when they drift into middle age, the personality-shaping events of yore continue to shape them and inform their artistry. Just ask Ian MacKaye or Henry Rollins. It’s also true for Tim Livingston, who was on the Albany scene in the late ‘70s with his band The Morons, and who resurfaced a few years ago fronting The Last Conspirators. A Celebration of Fury is the group’s third full-length, the followup to 2010’s highly regarded When It All Comes Down. Song titles like “Last Ones Standing,” “No Time For Egos” and of course “A Celebration of Fury” telegraph the intent here: the quartet has taken a look around and isn’t particularly thrilled by what it sees. To that end the band declares, per this seven-songer’s second track, “Radio Warfare.” Against a jungle-rock throb and ominous shards of spaghetti western guitar, Livingston decries the namby-pamby state of popular media. A few songs later, in the galloping Clash-like “No Time for Egos,” the group calls for a putting aside of personal agendas in the service of solidarity—heavy stuff indeed, and if that sounds like the Conspirators flirt with agitprop, well… how are you gonna get people to open their eyes without an initial round of provocation, anyway? Methinks Joe Strummer would make these guys his new favorite band were he still alive. In “Last Ones Standing” Livingston sings, in his trademark urgent, edgy voice, “There was a time/ We were young/ We were the rebel kind/ Always on the run/ Shaking things up/ Living by the gun.” This is no nostalgia trip, however, no wistful capitulation to growing older. Like I suggested in the first paragraph, Livingston & Co. draw strength from the past in order to more purposefully pursue the present. The rest of us can count The Last Conspirators among the good guys, the ones who desperately want us to make every moment count in the here and now..

David Fricke, Senior Editor Rolling Stone Magazine - ("Last Ones Standing" Video)
"thanks for the video clip of your band — it was rockin' stuff. I loved the drummer's Keith Moon break out at the end — he looked so controlled, and out of control, at the same time!

Ramsey Kanaan, MaximumRockNRoll Magazine - ("A Celebration of Fury" Review)
"Seven-track effort of revolutionary rock n roll… suitable stirring. "No Time for Egos", "Radio Warfare", "Last Ones Standing" the title track etc.. Musically, they're in that Blasters, later period X rock & roll vein and the slower efforts pay more than a nod to 'Elvis'. 'Tis growing on me, for sure."

Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide - ("A Celebration of Fury" Review)
"There's defiance in the very name of the Last Conspirators, so they didn't need to call their third album A Celebration of Fury, but then again, subtlety isn't a tool in the band's arsenal. They're true believers, keeping the rock & roll flame burning even if it may no longer be fashionable to do so. Not that this quartet cares much for fashion. Protest and passion are at the forefront, with the band often coming across like an Americanized, middle-aged version of the Clash. None of this is intended as a slight. the Last Conspirators are proudly American, waging war against complacency and cherishing the rebels and outsiders on the fringes of American culture. Similarly, they like playing music that's part of the tradition and they wear their scars proudly, playing with the gravity and ballast that survivors have. If the group doesn't innovate on A Celebration Fury, they never suggest that this is on their minds, either. They're all about raging against the light, whether it's dying or burning bright, and if you share their dyed-in-the-wool rebel stance, this celebration of fury is bound to be somewhat invigorating."

Jeff Jarema - ("A Celebration of Fury" Review)
"On this their third release, Upstate NY’s Last Conspirators sound better than ever delivering their trademark furious tempos. Just like the title suggests. But throughout their growing body of work, frontman Tim Livingston and gang once again prove they are no one trick pony. The head-on collision of anger and uplift in these lyrics, on newly-minted anthems “Radio Warfare” and “Somewhere Tonight in America” respectively, manage to raise the ghost of Strummer-Jones. Musically, the Last Conspirators get better with each release. On the opening “Last Ones Standing”, these guys prove once again their mastery of stripped-down punk rock. Yet at the close of this track, they throw in a violent, skillful drums-guitar battle straight out of ‘Who’s Next’. Across these seven new songs, their musical palette ranges from punk to subliminal psychedelia, steroid-strength power pop to one of the better vintage Stones-influenced sounds heard in awhile (the aforementioned “Somewhere Tonight”). At 23 minutes in length, in its economy it is sort of the anti-‘Sandinista’. Yet it rarely repeats itself. Consider this another triumph for these punk vets."

Allison Gregory - Nippertown ("A Celebration of Fury" Review)
The Last Conspirators are about to unleash their third album, A Celebration of Fury, and they’re doing it in a big way with a CD release party performance at LarkFest in Albany on Saturday (September 21). Labeled by many as a punk band, these four musicians display their musical diversity with surf-inspired guitar in “Last Ones Standing,” ’60s jangling distorted guitar in “Radio Warfare,” the country/rock sound of “Somewhere Tonight in America” and ’60s psychedelic rock sprinkled in perfect proportions in “Desperate Skies.” After listening to the album, it’s apparent these guys are seasoned veterans at what they do.The production of the album by the band’s guitarist Terry Plunkett is spectacular. All of the tracks are balanced. Throughout the album, there is not one song that has too much bass or an overpowering guitar part. The vocals are clear. It’s apparent that both the producer and Albany Audio’s John Chiara (who recorded and mixed the album) have keen ears and know how to make an album sound fantastic“Radio Warfare,” the second song on A Celebration of Fury, will stand the test of time. Twenty years from now, people will still be listening to it. The lyrics do not have an expiration date. It’s a radio-worthy song and an anthem for the ages. Its hard-edged, haunting vocals by Tim Livingston and jangling distorted guitars by both Terry and bassist Nick Bisanz are not only catchy, but chill-inducing.Many of the songs either address politics or snub the powers that be, including “Powerful Friends,” “Somewhere Tonight in America,” “No Time for Egos” and the title track. With the song “Powerful Friends,” the media and people in the government are being mocked. This song also includes one of the most entertaining guitar solos I’ve ever heard besides Clapton. Just be careful you don’t think the beginning is the end, since it teases you with a wrapping-up sound. “No Time for Egos” also features spectacular drumming by Al Kash, enhancing and driving the song.All in all, the Last Conspirators’ A Celebration of Fury must be considered one of the best local discs of the year. The album was expertly written and produced. And since the songs are so diverse, any person can find at least one or two songs they like. Play it again and again.

Tim Hinley - Dagger ("A Celebration of Fury" Review)
Tim Livingston (the vocalist of TLC who wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on here) has been around the scene forever but instead of making his racket in the Big Apple, he’s up in the Hudson Valley where old punks don’t go to die, they go to make more music (his old band The Morons tore up the Albany area back in the day, or so I’ve heard). This band has been around for a decade but have grown slowly and steadily as this is only their 3rd record in that time (2007’s WARPARTY and 2010’s WHEN IT ALL COMES down are the others). Livingston and his crew have definitely heard some Clash records in their lives (and some 101ers, too…Strummers previous band). A CELEBRATION OF FURY only has 7 songs on it but the songs are tough and thick, dense if you will. This isn’t snarling punk rock like The Germs, this is more textured, more cerebral with the songs slowly unfolding. Opening “Last Man Standing” is a perfect opener, laying the groundwork while “Radio Warfare” drags the corpse for a few more blocks and “Powerful Friends” really bites down and grits its teeth (and is my favorite here, along with the melodic “No Time for Egos”). The rest of the songs are all worth hearing as well, my only complaint is that there’s not more songs. Next time guys give us a full baker’s dozen.

Susan Rice - Upstate Live Music Guide ("A Celebration of Fury" Review)
Upstate New York’s bad boys, The Last Conspirators have released their third album A Celebration of Fury, a follow up to their critically acclaimed Warparty and When It All Comes Down releases. The punk rock and rollers are set to perform at this year’s Larkfest in Albany, the state’s largest one day street fair. Songwriter and front man Tim Livingston performed at the very first Larkfest with his pioneering Albany punk band, The Morons, and still continues to keep the edgy grunge scene alive today.
A Celebration of Fury consists of seven songs that get you amped up and angry, encouraging you to embrace the frustration that everyone can relate to in today’s world. It’s a wake up to society, giving the people a voice and relaying the message that “United We Stand”. The album goes through the multiple emotional levels of rebellion and protest, with powerful lyrics that make you question authority and classic punk angst that can start mosh pits in any location. The Last Conspirators have broken their silence and have encourage a musical political revolution, reminding the listener that they have the power for change. Their new album will be available for sale at Larkfest or on Compact Disc and as Digital Downloads from CD Baby, and also digitally on iTunes and Amazon. “Last Ones Standing” bring the listener back to their youth with lyrics full of wild rebellion and asks you to remember what it was we were rebelling against in the first place. Al Kash has a pounding drum rhythm that gets the heart racing and fired up. “Radio Warfare” has a desperado/outlaw feel from Terry Plunkett’s sliding and strumming steady guitar chords. “Powerful Friends” has echoing cymbals and long lasting guitar riffs with Livingston singing about how change can happen but in the end, it’s all about who you know. “Somewhere Tonight in America” has the classic American defiant rock groove that people of any decade can relate to. “No Time For Egos” has Livingston reminding the listener that we might not like each other, but it’s time to put our differences behind us and do what’s best for our future with lyrics such as, “divide and conquer we shall fall, stand our ground together with our backs against the wall.” “Desperate Skies” is one of the darker punk songs on the album with deep bass playing from Bisanz and for the first time lyrics of loneliness. Throughout the album, there is a theme for the masses to join together for change, but it is in this song that we hear words of personal desperation and fear. The last song, “A Celebration of Fury” has a dramatic ending of harsh whispers and heavy drum beats with the repeating line, “Time to celebrate the fury of our power.”

David Malachowski - The Times Union ("A Celebration of Fury" Review)
'Celebration' Revels in the Spirit of Loud, Blistering Rock
The Albany-based band The Last Conspirators always have something to say. And they say it loudly. And with conviction. Their new release, "A Celebration of Fury," is no exception. The band features longtime Capital Region mover and shaker Tim Livingston (head instigator in the Morons during Albany's rock heyday of the late '70s and early '80s), as well as drum giant Al Kash, guitarist Terry Plunkett and bass man Nick Bisanz. Singer-songwriter Livingston states his case in the anxious, angular "Last Ones Standing," as he is among those. The unpolished sound and Livingston's monotone ranting just add to the authenticity, while Kash anchors a rock-solid groove that few could match. That formula works well throughout the seven fiery tracks; other standouts include "Radio Warfare" (which recalls early Eric Burdon), the controlled chaos of "Powerful Friends," and the Ray Davies-sounding "Desperate Skies." Livingston and crew steadfastly refuse to get old, mellow and fade away, and are all the better for it. Music to shake your fist to, and maybe even get out of your comfort zone. That's real rock. Right?"

Kirsten Ferguson - Metroland Magazine ("A Celebration of Fury" Review)
A red, shadowy mob shrouds the cover of A Celebration of Fury, the third album from Capital Region old-school punk rockers the Last Conspirators—but the figures on the cover look more like casual spectators surrounding a bonfire or staring into the distance at the radioactive halo from a nuclear detonation. The seven songs of ferocious protest punk on the album are far from passive, though; they’re more like a call-to-arms from a pitchfork-wielding yet morally righteous gang. “Radio Warfare” is a dark, rumbling anti-corporate warning shot fired from the underground, while the rollicking, pub-rocking “Somewhere Tonight in America” has a more ironic take on disenfranchisement in the U.S.A. “No Time for Egos” is a rallying call for scene unity, and title track “A Celebration of Fury” comes at the very end, wrapping up the potent album with a slogan-fueled anthem of empowerment for the rock and roll revolution."

Fred Rudofsky - Nippertown "Best Albums of 2013" ("A Celebration of Fury" Review)
"13.) THE LAST CONSPIRATORS: Celebration of Fury (Driving Rain Music) Pitched somewhere between an EP and an LP, the latest seven songs from these local heroes hit the spot. The opening “Last Ones Standing” features a powerful vocal by Tim Livingston and looks unflinchingly at how age all too often quells youthful idealism in many. “Radio Warfare,” with Nick Basanz on eerie bass, sounds like a lost gem by the Clash; “Powerful Friends,” anchored by stellar drums from Al Kash and boisterous guitar by Terry Plunkett, offers a sardonic series of platitudes about those who thrive because of nepotism.