“If we keep each other uneasy, we’ll keep each other alive.” It’s a paranoid call-to-arms, but, every bit as much, it’s a reassuring smattering of poetry. And, as Jena Berlin’s Jon Loudon delivers that line, from Quo Vadimus’s second track, “Communique,” he doesn’t sound the least bit timid. He isn’t, and neither are the rest of the group.

Philly’s Jena Berlin - comprised of Loudon, and bandmates Jeff Meyers, Dave Klyman, and Michael Fennen - descend from a line of emotional hardcore punk bands who’ve contended that music and politics are inseparable. Picking up, perhaps, where Boy Sets Fire left off, Jena Berlin have the sort of conviction that has been lacking in whatever “scene” one would care to group them.

In fact, the coming-of-age-during-wartime anthem “Instruments” is reminiscent of something from Boy Sets Fire’s After the Eulogy, both in sound and lyrical urgency. “Instruments” almost seems like Loudon’s attempt to justify the purpose of the political musician. “If nothing else,” he sings, “Play what you can / Sing what you know now.” Loudon’s heart is well past his sleeve on this one. But, whether you’re a musician or not, it’s hard not to appreciate his imagery.

Loudon addresses the potential critical response to his own lyrics on the very personal “I Swear We’re Leaving.” The song addresses the eventual reviewers who will walk away, unimpressed with Jena Berlin’s adherence to their ideals. “Echo echo, echo echo / Echo, nothing new here,” Loudon sings, mimicking his detractors. “But isn’t it strange,” he adds, “There’s so many of us these days?” Apparently, there’s still plenty of room for dissent and working class angst, because there ARE an awful lot of bands doing what Jena Berlin is doing. At least, on from an ethical standpoint.

Still, Jena Berlin have little trouble forging an identity amongst the herd. They’ve got their own patented synergy of musicality / social consciousness, and it’s drawing in more fans by the day. Vocally, Loudon may remind some of Hot Water Music’s Chuck Ragan. When it comes to songwriting, the band winks at influences ranging from Bad Religion (with whom they’ll soon be sharing the Electric Factory’s stage), to the Jaw bands (both ‘Box and ‘Breaker) and The Promise Ring.

“Dancing” sounds either right off a Rites of Spring record or straight out of the ‘97 emo resurgence. It’s hard to decide which. “Island Living” brings the groove to J.B.’s blend of personal politick. Splashes of piano punctuate the appropriately rollicking “Motion Sickness.” And things get a bit heavier on “Sand,” which could’ve fit right in with the early work of Boston’s Reach the Sky.

Even in its new album’s most extreme moments, Jena Berlin never strays far from its melodic post-hardcore niche. But, then again, Loudon and co. would rather use the wheel to get to point B than try to reinvent it.Quo Vadimus is Latin for “Where are we going?,” and it’s a focus-driven sophomore effort from a band who takes as much from Karl Marx as it does Fugazi. According to the band’s bio, the name “Jena Berlin” comes from the two universities where Marx studied before writing his Communist Manifesto. The group says it adopted the unusual moniker to keep themselves socially aware.

“Where we go from here / Is anybody’s guess and nobody’s choice.” Jena Berlin formed in an age where confusion was part of the order of things. Their lyrics will appeal to listeners who, like the boy described in “Motion Sickness,” trace their fingers along a globe, only to feel a bit insignificant afterwards. Essentially, anyone who needs a musical kick-start or kick in the ass...Quo Vadimus is your reminder to keep things in perspective. But, also, to never sell yourself short.

“Do I think bigger than I am?” Loudon asks. “Do I act smaller than I believe?” Jena Berlin have read their Thomas Paine. Or maybe this is another helping of those Marxist leanings we mentioned earlier. No doubt, these ethically-obsessed punkers will be labeled everything from pinkos to retreads by their doubters. Their fans, though, will find strength and comfort in the group’s unrelenting idealism. And, if there’s a few converts along the way, the guys surely won’t mind.

On “Sand,” Loudon sings, “I’d like to think, over the course of things / Somebody would get the point.”

Of course, some never will. But, with each song sung, a few more just might. Cheers, Jena Berlin!