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Record Reviews
- November, 2000 BellRays "Grand Fury" CD I
can't say enough about this soul-purging unit. Lisa's my favorite vocalist
out there, and the guitarist ain't far behind. They don't sound like anybody
else - they're the real fuggin' thing, alright? Tina Turner meets MC5?
If you say so. How do you follow up the best album of '99? By plowing
forward, true to your initial vision. Most of this is just as transcendental
as "Let it Blast," so pick it up, Sparky. They've recently added
a new bassist and drummer (from Manitowoc, WI!) and haven't missed a beat.
Souls on fire, indeed. (TK) Boris the Sprinkler "…Gay!" CD/LP Ok…
This sounds just like their last album, except they didn’t use any
imagination in writing the songs. These songs just aren’t that entertaining,
or even catchy! "Motherfucker Are You Ready to Rock?" sounds
like it should’ve been a Turbonegro tune! "I Don’t Really
Want To Walk To Taco Bell Without You", is a visible reference to
the Ramones. All these dull, mediocre tunes lead me to the question, "Has
the world been over Borisized?" It’s most likely. "Have
I just grown out of the whole goofy punk bit?" Not hardly! I mean,
"Where (the fuck) is Captain Kirk?!" If you’re a fan of
Boris the Sprinkler I behoove you to at least listen to their new CD before
you waste your lunch money on it. (JD) Busted Lives "Winner's Circle" CD Those
repulsive barflies the Busted Lives are at it again! The aversion coming
out of this record is inexorable. While most of you are just sitting on
your ass twiddling your thumbs, the Busted Lives are out there giving
‘em hell. Anybody into tight, raw, witty garage punk like the Drags
or Rats with an Elvis impersonator on vox will love these guys! There
are 12 filthy tracks including, "Dirty Alcoholic", "John
Brown Blues", and "The Very Witch of Fuck." (JD) Chronics "Soulshaker" CD The
Chronics, from Sweden, are a premium 60’s garage rock ‘n’
roll group with a spice of Radio Birdman added for style. Every stomping
song on this CD is solid gold. The tunes are catchy, not trite or flashy,
just real down to earth r’n’r. Like the title says, Soulshakin’
is what these boys are all about. If people aren’t dancing at a Chronics
gig it’s because they’re too smashed to pick up their feet!
(JD) Defiance "No Time" 7" EP If
you like classic ’82 punk rock then you like Defiance. The dueling
vocals and catchy guitars are what keep this band fresh. They protest
for change and don’t come off sounding like smart-ass little brats
about it. Like UK punk? Get this 3-song 45. (JD) Dogs "Fed Up" CD/LP
Drunk Drivers "Chillin'" CD Ex-Venison
shlubs from Eau Claire, WI. Talk about truth in advertising - these guys
were emptying pints of Spaten onstage twice as fast as I was puttin' down
my bottles of Point. Shambling, drunk, hilarious, and tight as a 10 yr.
old mongoloid throughout. They have a Jesus Lizard meets coll-rock sound
that probably woulda' been right at home on Touch and Go a decade or so
ago. A bit "indie" for my normal tastes, but I still likes it.
(TK) Evil Hoo Doo "Outta Tonight" 7" This
is the 3rd single by these late, great Japanese rockers! The
Evil Hoo Doo play some deranged 60’s garage rock ‘n’ roll
that sounds like a hybrid of Jackie & The Cedrics and ? & The
Mysterians. Evil Hoo Doo are extremely danceable and a group I could certainly
do the "Huckle Buck" to. This record isn’t in print anymore,
but they do have other 7"ers on Mangrove and Get Hip that I’m
sure are just as good. (JD) Exploders "What's what and who's who" 7" Toronto's
EXPLODERS have received a fair bit of attention recently, due in no small
part to the release of a 45 on Rip Off Records. Many have applauded the
single as adding a degree of variety to a label very much associated with
a faster, rawer punk sound than that of the EXPLODERS, who deliver a bombastic,
riff-heavy style of rock. It's ironic, then, that this 4-song offering
serves chiefly to highlight a lack of variation as the band's obvious
weakness. While their single-minded devotion to blustering, mid-tempo
backing and bellowed vocals could carry a single-- as it did on "Electric
power"-- it quickly wears thin on even a shorter EP like this, where
soundalike songs result from a lack of hooks and direction, reducing impact
considerably. A little more attention to song-writing, coupled with a
tempering of the band's quirkier impulses, could very well produce a stronger
record. Points for great taste in covering CRIME's "Rockabilly Drugstore",
and I'll wait for the next release before giving up on the EXPLODERS quite
yet. (US) Exploders "Electric Power" 7"
Jolt "S/T " LP Seen
this band on Punk in London or something like that. I could get up and
look but its as cold as fuck in the Midwest today and I am enjoying a
Generic Label Mountain Dew (called Citrus Drop, Distributed by Inter-American
Foods out of Cincinnati Ohio) and sitting by the computer writing this.
Now I will admit, I like The Jam. That isn’t a bad thing to do either.
Its not like it's a groundbreaking statement. The Jam kicked out some
pretty damn memorable tunes. They weren’t spectacular or anything
but their first LP was almost legendary, just too rushed. The label should
have waited for some better songs than rushing to release something "punk".
This LP by the Jolt just hits me like a second Jam LP whereas they got
back to their roots of playing fast and loud, or maybe Jam demo recordings
where they were destined to mellow out later or something. In other words,
The Jolt also represents the more mod-punk/power-pop madness like that
of The Jam. The Jolt rip-off The Jam, and its pretty apparent. Someone’s
gotta do it though, and hell, someone should have done it maybe even sooner
and faster than The Jolt. On the back of the cover it sez "Long Play
33 1/3 RPM Microgroove Flexible Record". I’m not too sure what
all of that means, like that part about the microgroove flexible shit,
but what I do know is that this record was just a lil' bit too big which
cause the record to rub against the arm assembly on my turn-table and
make a vicious scraping noise approximately every three seconds. I had
to get a knife and scour the edges of the LP in order to make the record
playable. This is the first record I ever had to take a knife to. Cool.
(SAB) Legionnaires Disease "Catch the Disease" 10" This
one totally caught me by surprise. I had been previously introduced to
Legionnaires Disease previously on some re-punk compilation or other and
like them, but wasn't crazy about them. When I spotted this gem though,
I just had to have it. Reading through the liner notes on the back, I
wish I had the funds to mix the collective stories of AK-47, The Huns,
Nervebreakers, Authorities, Bobby Soxx and Legionnaires Disease into one
movie. Harmony Korine would have to direct it though because no other
director has a hold on ideas like debauchery and chaos like him (reference:
Gummo). Legionnaires Disease are dirty, gritty, germ ridden and damn proud!
There’s some resolute Sex Pistols/English punk in their sound but
there was some other bands in their area/scene (like Really Red) that
they tend to emulate and mix their own recipe of destructiveness AND still
achieve good results with, a bit more. If you liked Deep in the Throat
of Texas or Bloodstains Across Texas, then I’m sure you already have
this or have already began your hunt! (SAB) (Try Underground Med - JD) Le Shok "We Are Electrocution" LP
Los Reactors "Dead in the Suburbs" LP Oklahoma
keyboard-damaged punk/wave from around the turn of the '80s. The two singles
on Side A are pretty fuggin' great, and contain that "magic"
so many of the '77-82 bands seemed to possess. The live B-Side is decent
enough. Recommended. (TK) Mazinga Phaser "abandinallhope" CD Ever
wonder how Mike Throneberry spends his time away from the Reds? Well...he
plays mary-jewana rock. Mazinga Phaser has a femme-fronted sound akin
to Jessamine or Spaceman 3. He also has (had?) another band called "Stumptone"
who are more in the Sebadoh/Velvet Underground vein. While 98% of the
people reading this will hate this stuff, it's definitely well done, and
I find that it has its definite "uses." Man, I'm gonna' get
killed for putting this thing up here. (TK) Mooney Suzuki "People Get Ready" LP I
held off this review a bit until I got a chance to see 'em. Yup, I'd bought
the record cuz it looked cool and Tim Kerr produced it. Like you never
do that shit. Anyway, my first impression was of a 'Neckbreakers/Crusaders/trad-rock
foursome - not all that exciting. Live? Definitely one of the best bands
I've seen in a pretty fine year for live music. They sounded like a more
"vintage" Makers sans most of their more-annoying tendencies.
I still don't think this album is all that ace, but they sure are a formidable
live act. Maybe next time. (TK) More Fun "Teenage Sensation!" 7" More
Fun are a Japanese power pop group that can write wonderfully clever tunes.
The first song, "Teenage Sensation", is set to a dreamy melody
with charming lyrics about being young and innocent. The last song, "Box,"
picks it up a bit with catchy guitar hooks and punchy breaks that only
add to the pop pleasure. Yeah it’s out of print, but the lead vocalist,
Tatsauya, is now in the Treeberrys on 1+2 Records, so go get that. (JD) My So-Called Band "The Punk Girl Next Door" CD
Naked Raygun "Basement Screams" CD Naked
Raygun came across to me more as an art-punk band than a straight-forward
punk/hardcore band even before I heard this disc and their choice to cover
Wires’ "12XU." I remember when I first heard "Throb
Throb"... I thought it was some of the best shit i ever heard, and
still do. I had high expectations for this disc but its pretty damn comparable
to "Throb Throb". I can’t help it. I always tend to expect
bands earlier works to far outweigh their latter ones. This time I was
wrong but just a tad... Put "Potential Rapist" and "Tojo"
on "Throb..." and that would have been a $100 E-Bay LP. I think
it was the group backing vocals throughout the disc on the studio stuff
that bothered me... Whereas this disc won’t garner new fans, it will
make others that much more satisfied. (SAB) Privateways "Touch and Thaw" 7"
Privateways "Better Off Givin’ In" 7" This
is the Privateways 2nd single. These cats have all the euphonic
ingenuity of an English 60’s mod group. They just keep surprising
me with amazing pop tunes that show no deficiency in vivacity. The finest
track on this two-song 7" would have to be "Why are things so
nice?" It’s just one of those songs you can not stop listening
to. The Privateways would be on top of the pops if the rest of the world
could get their hands on their records. (JD) Radio Shanghai "2-Dimentional Girl" 7" Rocketing
out of modern day Japan these days is a band known as Radio Shanghai.
They are leading the way in the ’79 new wave punk revival. Their
pop tunes are so infectious I must have played the A-Side a dozen times,
and when I eventually flipped to the B-Side… oh my. The undisputed
victor definitely goes to the song "2-Dimentional Girl." It
has The Clash’s "Stay Free" vibe with plenty of hooks and
melodies to inveigle even the most jaded of punk fans. Find this at any
cost. (JD) Raydios "My Baby’s Back" 7" The
Raydios, if you don’t already know, feature Fink and Sammy of Teengenerate,
and now Firestarter. They play fucking awesome ’77 pop punk rock
like The Buzzcocks and The Boys. If you haven’t already picked up
the out of print LP on Screaming Apple out of Germany you really missed
out. If you do have the LP this 7" is only a necessity if you constantly
talk about Teengenerate and design your web page after their albums. The
only song on this record that isn’t on the LP is a cover of The Scientists’
song, "Last Night," which is decent but not "life changing,"
as Kenny Rockaction puts it so eloquently. Save your cash for the Raydios
LP, which has been on eBay ever once in a while, and some European mail-order
web sites. (JD) Registrators "Imagination World" 7" This is a biased review. Even more so since I bought this piece of plastic and attempting to further it in any possible way. To understand this review, you must understand two very important creations of mine. One is my Neoteric Punk/Wave rock movement. As stated in the pages of Maximum Rock and Roll, AND furthered digitally by Now Wave web site, I basically created a new rock movement which I call Neoteric Punk/Wave SPECIFICALLY for bands like Kill The Hippies, Crimson Sweet, Cock Spaniels, Dynamite On! Nowhere Squares, The Reds and others including, you guessed it: The Registrators! Taken from the third Draft of my Neoteric Punk/Wave, "MY Neoteric Punk/Wave movement is the BEST of all the current flavors. It's modern new wave without the downers. It's indie-pop with a punch to the face. It's 'punk rock' meaning "PUNK-ROCK" and not "punk rock" meaning all that Korn bullshit wasting space in CD players ROUND THE WORLD (that Korn-punk is fucking global ya know). My Neoteric Wave rock movement is the bitter anecdote to all that's wrong with those people slinging around punk like it's a fucking adjective. "Look Mom, punk rock!". "Oh Mikey, yer sooo funny! Grandma will think that's soo CUTE!". FUCKERS! YOU RUINED PUNK ROCK!" Take it for what you will. I don't really care. I am just waiting for everyone else's personalized rock movements to see if any, at all, creativity was used. When Kill The Hippies released 'Shit Covered Hits" it was a statement which went beyond just "punk rock" or even "Punk-rock." The Registrators also did this with the release of "16 Wires from the New Provacate," both were a statement from a new age of rock and roll and I did something about it. The other thing you must understand in my biased review of this Registrators artifact is the "V-Army." You see, the 7" cover (ah, if only Mr. Domino could scan in the cover) has the band name overtop of a flying V guitar. I never seen any live pictures of The Registrators and never considered them to be big fans of Flying V's or anything (yeah, foolish thinking, I mean, I AM talking about The Registrators, one of the top 5 bands who ever breathed air) but I suppose now, they might be 'fanatics', like me. I formed and founded a loose organization called The V-Army with the releasing of my last issue of Neus Subjex, so I’m talking recently folks. The organization is so loose (AKA "mysterical") no list of operatives exist outside those retained in the brains of its followers. No leaders, only units. Only action where there is no action. Simply owning and playing a Flying V is a start, but its not enough. The V-Army is like The Mansons or something minus the firearms and the coleslaw but with heaping amounts of flying V guitars and rumblings of a Neoteric Apocalypse. I'm automatically biased when I see a flying V. No guarantees promised but if you put a flying V on your record cover, you have to be pretty damn musically compatible with ol' Shawn Abnoxious. The
way I see it, you have two main versions of The Registrators. The 'Terminal
Boredom' version and the 'Provocate' version (even though I hadn't heard
shit about a lineup change I think most would agree on my breakdown).
This 7" would fall under the 'Provacate' sounding Registrators. Now
I know a lot of people that don't like the (new) Registrators and their
development as a band. Tread careful if you are a big "Terminal Boredom'
fan. But for those who were weeded out from the finest to the ELITE with
"16 Wires," this is a perpetuance of that sound. The Registrators
are leaders of the new-new wave and Neoteric masters of all they see.
Hey, this was almost a Compulsive! (SAB) Rudimentary Peni "The Underclass" 7" EP This
here is a new one from this well-known peace punk group out of England.
I don’t normally listen to this kind of music, but every now and
then it’s an amiable change. Personally, I think this record is fuckin’
cool! The songs are super short, like a minute long – maybe less,
and they are repetitive with a very dark and forceful beat. Rudimentary
Peni present you with 12 songs (!) on this worthwhile 7". (JD) Splash 4 "Shame, Shame, Shame" 10" Along
with The TV Killers and The No-Talents (who The 4 also share personnel
with), The Splash play like a middle-of-the-road mix of the two and along
with, are thee sound of modern french Repunk-rock. This time around the
seven songs on this disc are not as powerful as their "Filth City"
10" (Estrus Records) but keepers none-the-less. Two tracks are covers.
One is of the German punk pioneers known as Big Balls and The Great White
Idiot ("Kick her in the Dirt"), which doesent really do the
original justice (nice try though, it just sounds too choppy), and a French
version of a song by The Bug’s who I have yet to hear. Besides "Miss
Behavior" the remaining tracks sound like "Filth City"
leftovers and since the songs were recorded way back in October of 1998
might very well be from the same session (give me a break, I don’t
feel like getting up and checking). (SAB) Shifters "Shattered" CD Pretty
similar to the Rip Off single - cool ringing/soaring guitars grafted onto
'77/pop. Gud, but not over-the-top gud. They need better tunes to go head-to-head
with, say, the Stiletto Boys. (TK) Suicide Commandos "Commit Suicide Dance Concert" CD I've
been waiting for this reissue for YEARS. This 'un contains 32 SONGS (!!!),
which is the nearly-entire '78 live set at the Loghorn in Minneapolis.
The Commandos were a MN just-pre-punk band that released some cool singles
and a classic (major label) studio album. Twin Tone released this live
document some years later, and I've been looking for it for more than
a decade. Well, attempting to find it for less than $50. Now that I've
finally heard it... it's certainly "rootsier" and less ferocious
than I'd hoped for, but it's still a nice document of a legendary unit.
The record contains mostly covers, the sound is great, etc... (TK) Sugar Shack "Get Out of my World" CD Hands-down
best band I've seen this year. They were a perfect distillation of all
that's good 'n right with '60s garage w/ a good shot 'o '77 ta' boot.
This album is much better than their first one (the only other one I own),
but the live fury & swang don't really carry over to the studio. It's
still a really good album, with standouts like "Mr. Nowhere"
and "V.I.P." (TK) Tazers "Dont Classify Me!" LP
The
first track had me worried. It was the title one. Uh-Oh, a lil bit 'soft.'...
Soon after the next two I declare keepers: "Neo-Natal Hospital"
and "Micro-Wave Mother" both of which bring to mind Zounds and
The Mob, oddly enough two "Crass Records" bands. The comparison
soon sours though. the LP looses strength. After these two songs the LP
just sort of evens out with minor peaks on the second side with "Figure
it Out" and "Plastic Girls." Lets face it though, better
to have the good with the bad because if Rave-Up decided to just put the
better songs on a Greatest Hits 7" or something than the question
would still exist if there was something more hotter than just the few
kick ass songs. Now I know, and like I learned from watching GI JOE every
day at 4 PM after school in the 80's, knowing is half-the battle. All
criticisms aside, I would still rather get are-punk (as in reissue/revivalist
punk) releases like this Tazers than a Fat Wreck Chords piece of shit.
After I spent $12.99 on this slab of vinyl, mainly because MY (meaning
the record store I frequent rather than own) order from Underground Medicine
(where I could directly order it and save cash but refrained because I
want MY record store to last), I don’t feel cheated from buying this;
not one bit. Saying something likeable about a record means something
positive. If not for a few labels and a few select bands in my personal
city, I would not feel as strongly about punk rock in general and probably
never would have become a Blank Generation contributor. Rave-Up is a great
label doing a great thing. Even though their series is Lost AMERICAN Nuggets,
Cant wait to hear what they dig up for The Hitler SS. (SAB) The (International) Noise Conspiracy "Survival Sickness" CD/LP I
figured by their radio track, "Smash it Up," this whole LP would
be better than it is, but it's not. This LP is OK I suppose but "Smash
it Up" is clearly their best song on this attempt. Coming off as
the closest thing to a version of Gang of Four we currently have, "Survival
Sickness" isn't an LP I am going to rightfully ignore, but one that's
not going to get much airplay on my home stereo. The 90's version of post-punk
band, and you know what? It isn't even the 90's anymore. Time is relative,
take it for what you will. (SAB) Toxic Shock "12 Songs from a Non-Existent Band" LP Like
Icki mentioned in his column, this was a TX band that included David Yow
(Jesus Lizard, Scratch Acid) on bass. Although most of this is pretty
"samey," and the production is kinda' flat (go figger, this
was culled from an old demo tape), it's still a nice blow to the plexus.
"Riot Riot Riot" is a classic. Only 300 made so git on it. (TK) Valentine Killers "St. Valentines Day Massacre" LP This record looked promising enough. Menacing looking fella on the cover... Bar code over another's face on the back... Same guy I suppose. "Hey, you're on the record TWICE!!!" Sez the dude in the flannel (hey, they're from Seattle too, aren't they breaking some sort of rock-law by doing that). Good cover-up buttercup. I listened to Side One immediately upon returning home. I’m like "Yeah, its good but The Motards are better"; but it did stick with me a bit more than that Catheters LP a while back... I was all into that Catheters record AT FIRST, now I can't remember the last time I listened to it. I even PURPOUSLY sat a home when they came through Cincinnati because 1.) They were on tour with the Murder City Devils who sell their both LPs AND CDs separately for $10 EACH (which IS bullshit and something I called them on THE FIRST TIME they suckered me into seeing them; and they blew me off. Well, this review will teach their Pixie wannabe's ASS!)... What was I talking about? Oh yeah, the 2nd reason I blew The Catheters off is simple, Xena: Warrior Princess (I’m not too sure about that actually but sorta looks good there). The
Valentine Killers’ record I like better each time I hear it. They
sound dangerous, like kids playing with matches. Fans of The Candy Snatchers
should definitely take note, this LP is pretty reminiscent of HUMAN ZOO
(the Candy Snatchers LP that is, NOT the Cincinnati Punk legends that
the Snatchers' LP is named after. How’s that for some fucking fun
fucking facts? Can I even say fuck around here?). My picks are "Full
Throttle," the title track (you're NOT going to make me retype THAT
are you), and "Motor City Shutdown" which is so AWFUL but yet
appealing that I like it. Not entirely essential but then again what is?
(SAB) V/A "People Like You Records Sampler" CD Dontcha
wish you could order rock ‘n’ roll like you order food? "Uh,
heavy of the guitars please." Wait no, "Heavy on the guitars
and it better not suck fuck-head!" Well, People Like You Records
has records for people like you! If you’re all for the Euro punk
‘n’ roll invasion as well as loud, alcohol drenched punk with
16 amps plugged in and ready to roll, get this comp! The hot tracks on
the CD are, The Public Toys’ "Rock & Roll Parasite",
The Happy Revolvers’ "Rockbitch", Aerobitch’s "You
Lie", and Silver Tongued Devil’s "You Broke My Heart (So
I Broke Your Face)." This CD is loaded, so be warned. (JD) Vegas Thunder "No One Fucks With..." LP This
is approximately ¾ really fucking great. They sound quite a bit like "Satan's
Highway" era Hookers sans metal plus prime-era Crypt. High energy
rock 'n roll with gums bared. If this sounds doctor-ordered, then it is.
(TK) Vom "Live at Surf City" 7"EP Don’t
be fooled, this is the "training band" that went on to become
The Angry Samoans. Sort of a Killed By Death version of The Samoans, if
you will, that sort of reminds me of the infamous Electric Eels in their
execution.... The five songs on this 7", some of which you will notice
from their Samoan counterparts are raw, rough, and lewd. Like the Samoans
"Live At Rhino" quality wise, the release is still very much
listenable and worth the cash. "Electrocute Your Cock" is probably
one of the best songs ever written and already made it onto one of my
so-called "writing comps" which is a series of CDRs I have compiled
with songs from LP's that I listen to while writing. Yes, I go through
the extra trouble to record many LP's onto CDR so I can still hear the
crackle of vinyl DIGITALLY! Fuck yeah! It means nothing to most of you
(all mayhap?), but making it onto one of my CDR compilations is the closest
thing to a Grammy, and greatest honor I can personally bestow, on a band’s
song. (SAB) Von Zippers "Blitzhacker" CD
Warsaw "S/T" CD Twenty-three
years after the fact, some music is still yet to be discovered by me but
as usual, as fresh to the ears as if it was recorded yesterday. I grew
to become a Joy Division fan and only knew about the LEGEND known as Joy
Division BEFORE they were Joy Division. I got this CD, was blown away
at the strength they had in their earliest formations and by writing this
review urge you to re-discover the band that never was (more OR less!).
You might know "Warsaw" as one of the better Joy Division tracks
but it’s ALSO the beginning of Joy Division. This CD has 17 tracks
in all. The first eleven, including many raw and rough versions of early
Joy Division songs were recorded in 1978. The twelfth track is from 1980
(long after they changed their name from the Bowie influenced "Warsaw"
to Joy Division.) The remaining tracks were recorded even sooner and even
rawer, demos from 1977. If you consider Joy Division ‘punk-rock’
you will love this. If you think its cool that Ian Curtis hung himself
because he was seeking a release from his lifelong bout of epilepsy-like
to wear black and consider Joy Division a premier goth band, well you
are now a rare bread since all this Marilyn Manson bullshit has surfaced
AND might find a release like this hard to swallow. Me? I hear "No
Love Lost" when I walk into the room at a crowded venue (I also hear
"Teenage Radiation" by ss-20 when I take a piss so maybe that
sentence just lost a lil something). (SAB) Zymotics "Eddie’s Random Bombing" 7" The
Zymotics, outta Japan, are a pretty cool ’77 punk group that sounds
like a mélange of the Registrators and a Killed By Death group like The
Nubs. With all the power pop and mod groups coming out of Japan it is
refreshing to see there are still raw, punk as fuck bands out there wrecking
havoc on the music scene. The Zymotics give ya 3 tunes including, "I’m
a Plastic" and "Break the Radio." (JD) |
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©
blankgeneration.com 2003 |
I
have been waiting for this LP since picking up the "John Rock"
7" (featuring "John Rock and Roll St. Clair", "Tuff
Enuff" and "Slash Your Face") a while back. I didn’t
know who would do it, had no idea that Dionysus would step up to bat for
The Dogs much as they previously did for The Rotters, Gears, Controllers,
Dils and others; but I knew someone had to do this record. Its only befitting
that Dionysus did. Dionysus is another of those labels making the current
STATE of punk-rock bearable. With the bad and horrendous is the vicious,
destructive and more importantly, WORTHY. Dionysus is the yin to the yang
or some strange counter-balancing sounding shit like that. Many bands
are known as The Dogs. It’s one of those names that just seem to
fit many who claim it. Yet only one really deserves it though, This Dogs,
The (Detroit) Dogs! Disciples of The Stooges. MC5 inspired. That’s
not a bad thing. You heard 'em on Killed By Death and that 7" I mentioned
earlier if you were lucky (but really, your probably just pain ol' pathetic;
and that’s good too)... If you like that shit the rest of this LP
will not disappoint. Hard-hitting rock and roll with punk attitudes. Gray-scale
industrial cityscape music to live by. My switch-blade stopped working
the day after I bought this LP but I still carry it and even started to
get it out when I mistook a "mosh-pit" for young teen violence
at a punk rock show in a Ohio barn last night. Ready for Action (?)(!).
(SAB)
I
walked outta' the store with this hoping for some good, fast & stupid
Rip Off action. I dunno' why, I was just in the mood fer it. What I got
was mid-paced rock/punk from a buncha' Canuks. I was a bit disappointed,
as you can well imagine, but the songs are pretty good and I'm liking
it more w/ each listen. (TK)
The
best thing to come out this year by far would have to be "We are
Electrocution", it's my pick for the record of the year
2000! It’s fast, abrasive, neoteric punk with definite self-destructive
leanings. Just the thing to motivate you to do better. "Killed By
Fuck," "Where's the Line Begin for Vicodin," "White
Tie, You Die"... all anthems for the current STATE (state of what
you ask? The STATE of everything STATE!). It pains me that such a band
lives in such proximity to an ocean. This means that good punk rock can
come from someplace else other than this shit called The Midwest. A band
built around a great guitar sound with the keyboards add a distinctive,
well used (as opposed to over used) quality, and along with the Stitches
type snotty vocals make this LP stand out so much to me that this is the
second time I am writing a review for it. When you hear good records,
you want others to know about it. Pink vinyl. Electric pussies, Electric
dicks. I am the body Electric. (SAB)
I
can’t help but comment on this "punk" girl sitting in front
of what looks like a mansion. It seems like somewhat of a contradiction,
but what do I know about today’s punk rockers anyway. My So-Called
Band is a 3-chord punk group with rather superfluous songs. The vocals
are too docile, and neither the guitarist nor the drummer show much variation
from tune to tune. Personally I don’t think much of these boys, however
some melodies stood out, like "It Might Be June" and "Beauty
Pageant Judge For Life." Of course then there are songs like, "I’m
Your Groupie" and "Homeless You" that make me shudder.
(JD)
I
was absolutely floored when I heard the Privateways on the Mangrove comp
"ad vice." I had to hear more of this striking Japanese mod
group, it’s an addiction, what can I say. Now, this band is right
on par with the likes of First Alert and other creative rock ‘n’
roll groups that try more intricate forms in writing their music and yet
still keep their songs concise enough to be pure candy for the ears. This
is their 3rd single and should still be available, a Mangrove
record usually stay in print for some time. "Touch and Thaw"
is almost as good as their newer material and a worthy purchase, but personally
I’d kill to hear a full length. (JD)
They
had the name but admit on the liner notes, the Tazers did what they did
for GIRLS and FUN and didn't site being pissed-off OR bored as reasons
for forming the band. Being in a band myself, I see the opposite of having
fun and girls and being pissed off and bored as more of an influence.
Being bored means hating. Being pissed off means being disgusted. When
you hate something and are disgusted by it you have something to say.
I was bored, pissed off and even smelled like dog-food when I haphazardly
decided I was going to be the bassist in a band. Before the decision I
didn't play the bass, never even picked one up. I got a paycheck and got
a bass and amp. Chicks and having fun was the farthest thing from my mind.
I would hate to see the punk-rocker who is in it for the girls because
any girl he's able to pick up would have to be as fucked up (Hey, can
I say 'Fuck' around here) as he was in the first place. Secondly, since
when did punk rockers begin picking up chicks? Did I miss something? A
guy I know, Jimmy Pervert is the epitome of what punk rock is as far as
picking up girls are concerned. At a show a while back someone asked Jim
the last time he had sex. "Vaginal Sex?" he asked in clarification,
"Cause I have sex with myself all the time." Jim said no girls
want to talk to him. They hate him. He is - He is pretty maximum. Maybe
the girls he talks to should start bands. Now, who has more spunk? Who
is probably writing better songs about REAL life? The Tazers who are playin'
in a band and having fun and getting laid, OR Jim who is in The (late)
Geriatrix swilling any beer he can find, jerking his meat to get self-gratification
and being shot down more than Iraqi Migs in the Gulf War? 
Shit.
I'd always had 'em pegged as a third-rate Mummies rip off, when in reality
they're a second-rate Headcoates. Sound like faint praise? It shouldn't...
despite some annoying/cloying gimmicky elements, this thing pretty much
smokes. Oh, it's a singles comp, if that helps you out. (TK)