In this era of cookie cutter punk rock bands and homogenized indie rock it’s quite refreshing to come across the marginal oddballs known as Northern Liberties.

A band like this convinces me that rock can still be as urgent and raw as it ever was and not just doomed to zombie posturing.

Indeed, with a passion you’d be hard pressed to find in a lot of bands today, Northern Liberties conveys that rock is alive and well thank you.

The music is primarily Kebin Unlord’s driving and melodic bass guitar with Marc Duerr’s dynamic drumming. Alongside is Justin Duerr’s forlorn and echoing vocals as well as his fortifying percussion. So, it seems Joe Strummer’s proclamation of “No more guitar heroes” is taken literally. But by the end of the first tune, it’s not even an issue.

I had a chance to catch one of their shows in the summer of 2002 at the Catbox in West Philly. It was hot as hell but they gave one of most animated and captivating performances I’ve ever seen from a band (and I’ve seen scores over the years and all across the states).

I imagined myself witnessing a ritual as performed by three primitives from the future. Half naked and wholly tattooed they wielded their instruments with wild abandon and conviction, but balanced with a magical grace and deliberate control. The songs with lyrics that seemed to be ruminations on occult matters probably helped this perspective. However, this is not to say that these guys are gravely serious and one dimensional. A listen to the lyrics of their “Devil -Song” will betray that they also have a sense of humor.

At times the music can be quite ferocious but then again there’s brain with the brawn.

No doubt, they aren’t aiming to be radio friendly, but hell if their “Erode and Disappear” CD doesn’t have some damn catchy tunes too. For example, unsettling as it may be, I’ve caught myself singing one of them aloud, “I’m a creep – a creep in the concourse following you and your girlfriend.”

However, it’s “Bio-Vac.” that’s among my favorite tracks from this debut CD on the Worldeater Records label. Justin’s lyrics here are more challenging than those of the songs previously mentioned, but with the groove of the tune as guided by Kebin and Marc, the song gets steered to seep in and reward you with a glimpse into what seems to be just one of the fantastic and dystopic worlds that Justin is exploring as well as the ones we dwell in.

That’s why No Li are so refreshing. Not only can they rock, but they are just as adventurous with their lyrics as they are with their music.

So get refreshed yourself, and let Northern Liberties “communicate with the voices in your head!”

– Tom aka Vosco

Smart and strong indie rock with a punk rock attitude. The lyrics are what really stands out to me about this band. They are well written. Topically they sing mostly about spiritual, metaphysical, and occult matters. Musically, they are also a little different. There is no guitar. They utilize bass as the lead instrument, and drums + percussion fleshing out the groove. It gives them a very thick dark sound. Very modern and intense. The vocalists sound very emotionally tied to the subject matter. I’ve heard better vocals, but at least they seem to really have a vested interest in what they are screaming.

— Neo-Zine

The bass ‘n’ tribal drumming of Killing Joke, the bleak undercurrent of Joy Division, the inspired “Whoa whoa!”-ing of Naked Raygun, the uneasiness of The Stranglers: Philly’s Northern Liberties might be the double-naught’s answer to Proletariat (“Soma Holiday” is one of the essential ’80s HC albums). No guitar player within 50 miles of the Rocky statue, but the instrumentation jabs like Ivan Drago on an Everlast bag. Melodic touches from Adrian, however, absorb the repeated right hands to the face. Best round: the strapped glove of “Suction,” which (vocally) waves a “Pink Flag” at “Three Imaginary Boys” in the squared circle.
-Gunther 8544

Interesting spacy lo-fi punk. Absolutly different from what’s out there nowadays. I have to say that it’s a fun journey. Vocals just haunting and twisted at times, and the music just goes from mellow to “turned up to 11” in nothing flat. A record to check out.

I guess if you had to come up with a label for this you might call it “pop punk neo-goth”. Like Justins zine, the lyrics have a “quasi gnostic” sound to them, though there’s some social commentary as well. I liked the energetic, rythmic and somber, guitar and drum lead-ins in most of the songs, and the music maintains its quality throughout. But the lyrics are a bit crowded, apparently in an effort to convey a “meningful” message. And the vocals are a little grating and slightly off key. Some of the songs, with their rapidly spoken lyrics, remind me of Nada Surf’s “Popular”. Although I prefer a more melodic and mellifluous style, I’ll grant there’s some talent in here, and the cover and the CD itself have some exceptional artwork on them.

— James N. Dawson, XEENS AND THINGS # 16

18 songs in over an hour? But value for your money? First I thought that this record was a split, ‘cus it looked like that on the cover. But later I found out that it wasen’t a split at all….the band was NORTHERN LIBERTIES, and “Erode + Disappear” was actually the title. Funny, huh? This band is playing some kind of heavy Punk, that we can call Indie Punk to be more exact, and sometimes even Pop Punk actually. Some good songs, some bad songs, and it goes in through one ear and out of the other. The Pop Punk songs are their best stuff, the rest of it is just too boring. Maybe they should have done a Pop Punk EP instead? I would have liked that much better anyway.