One Day As a Lion - s/t E.P

It's certainly odd timing. In the last decade, the entire world has been thrown into upheaval. The political landscape has become so explosive that even The Dixie Chicks started speaking out, and yet, all this time, Zach de la Rocha, the people's champion of political statement, remained effectively dormant.

While he may be late to the game, the whistle hasn't blown yet, and this man knows how to make an entrance. With former Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore at his side, de la Rocha is back in business.

While the same firebrand, political rapping style is still at the forefront, this isn't just a case of Rage Against the Machine: the duo years. Sung vocals feature prominently on this debut self-titled E.P, and while the production could never be described as 'impressive', it does the job in terms of bulking up the raw anger of the message contained therein. Theodore, for his part, reigns in the ridiculously convoluted drum rhythms of his previous band in favour of simple, effective groove-ridden beats.

Rounding out the sound is de la Rocha again, this time in his role behind the black and white plastic keys. Before visions of Keane meets The Streets are called to mind, it's worth remembering that the man in question has little to no training in his chosen instrument, as such he instead resorts to sonic manipulation, shaping noise into melody and sounding distinctly Tom Morello would have done were he contributing guitar to this release.

Lyrically, we're back on familiar ground. The government, institutionalised corruption, revolution, religious conformity and the supposed separation of church and state all form the backbone of five tracks dealing with chaos on the streets. "Why would we ever let a few white christian fictions shape our tomorrow following them cause tomorrow got a gun to its head." Throughout the E.P de la Rocha proves himself a passionate, if not entirely profound vocalist. While he pulls quotes from many (the band name for instance is derived from the expression: "It's better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand days as a lamb") sources, he is unlikely to leave much in the way of memorable phrases for future generations within this release.

The sheer spontaneity of this (possibly one-off) project is both its glorious crown, and its Achilles' heel. Many may be turned off by the stripped down nature of One Day As a Lion, yet the thriftiness of its recording is likely the only reason that Zach de la Rocha let us, the public hear it. The raw empowerment present is something that has certainly been lacking from the world's sonic palette of late.