Politically charged and metaphorical music makes a comeback on OH What Model Citizens We Be, as Spiro Agnew evokes the hippie days of the 70s, combined with an experimental rock sound along the lines of Prince and Pink Floyd. Loud cymbals, synth and even hand-claps accent funky beats.  But in this new age blend of older influences, something original gets lost.

Spiro Agnew is not quite able to deliver the message; despite the speech snippets from 70s rallies, breezy vocals and different rhythms. In their style that draws on the past, OH What Model Citizens We Be never comes into it’s own.

There are the good songs; “Tomorrow’s Disappointment” is an attention grabber, mid-tempo with a blend of those hand-claps and synth, and electric guitar. The lyrics are about behavior versus social norms, and combine a lot of true but cliche ideas, resulting in nothing interesting.

“Oh What Model Citizens We Be” is another, and on this track, the band alludes to events from a first person perspective, done also in “John Kennedy’s Dead”. An interesting metaphor but an unemotional delivery takes off the edge it could have had.

Further on, “Waste My Time” does just that; wastes time and one is unengaged by the second verse. With a tempo that matches most songs on the album, the band tries a little harder to be more excited with their lyrics but it sounds forced and theatrical, monotone even.

“Guns in Town” is melodically interesting, but the vocals never climax with the guitar riffs. You are built up by the energy of the track, but can never quite connect as the singer is not convincing enough, and thus never quite makes his point.

Conclusion – Spiro Agnew juxtaposes and analyzes a cultural timeline, but finds nothing fresh or intriguing to add to the argument.