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Record Reviews
- October, 2001 Angoras "S/T" CD Silly
portrayal of the band as Power Puff Girls? Unnecessary. Nevertheless,
I am willing to overlook this. After all, it’s the music that matters,
right? Seven catchy songs blending cute shit with tough-girl flare. Girls
outnumber the boys three to one, but I’m not complaining (Wink Wink).
They don’t REALLY look like Power Puff Girls, do they? I don’t
think I could deal with that. (MB) Backstabbers "To Eleven" CD Heavy
rock, punk ‘n’ roll, lotsa guitar solos…but unfortunately
the Backstabbers lumber along like an ol’ grizzly bear. They sound
like most West Coast rock ‘n’ roll groups like the Hellbenders,
Catheters, etc…but the music is a little too moderate for my tastes.
Songs like "Full Throttle" pick up the step a little, still,
most of these tracks sound like they’re stuck in neutral. I mean,
if you want full throttle you gotta get in the ‘vette with the Candy
Snatchers. If you want to keep pace with the elderly you can ride along
in your wheelchair with the Backstabbers. (JD) Bad Form "S/T" 7" Oh
sweet New Jersey! All MONORCHID and SKULL KONTROL fans, check in now.
No shock if any members of those outfits are also in this band. Simply
the on top business… All the fashion and style, sweat and hardcore,
roots, tears, laughs, pain and beers are here. All the geometric angles
of post punk are here. Spin the compass though, and land all of this at
the same point with some…rock and roll? Yes, I said it. And it doesn’t
change into rock and roll during certain parts or whatever. Take
that "RNR" line out, and this opinion (review) would still stand.
Any fan of those two aforementioned Touch & Go bands will recognize
the weird, rockish (sometimes in a ‘70’s way too) guitar lines
from that KONTROL stuff here, but might not have noticed before. If you
noticed and liked those parts, get on this disc- the guitars on this thing
are the whip! These things (the guitar/s) might have been directed from
an original point, but they take off on their own here with noise, "power"
riffs, a 1 second "hard rock" (hard rock= hardcore= I’m
hard= fuck responsible rock) moment, then hardcore and post punk phrasing
shifts, all coupled with the thrills (and on the other hand safety) of
a trapeze artist falling, only to hit soft netting below. This guy’ll
ignore the band for 2 seconds, but then will suddenly be leading the band
for like 29 seconds, then he’ll just go off on his own again. I’ll
use my favorite word for guitars now — slicing. A country tempo even
finds its way on here with harmonica accompaniment. After that they scream,
and then start chugging. And it comes with my favorite gimmick - the lock
groove so the experience never has to end until your stereo breaks or
you have to go to work (replace "work" with "school"
if you’re a pussy). Hardcore has never carried its gear to the show
in a red bandana attached to a stick before (tied around the head, legs,
or arms yes (Not the gear, the bandanas – ANTHRAX!). I’m not
talking mixing or trading off styles in the songs (or, "we’re
just a rock band, now here’s our punk song, dudes!") —
what we have here is originality. No mashing or smashing things into places
they don’t belong. This refuses to rely on a style, gimmick, or "popular
at the moment" trend to save lackluster playing or songwriting, no,
no, no. Remember that next time you’re reading to the Sassy magazine
"Cute Band Alert" flavor of the month. It’s WHITE STRIPES
every month, right? (KR) Black Dice "Peace In The Valley" 7" Please
allow me to get my main gripe out of the way, please. This 7" comes
pressed on really cool blue/green colored solid vinyl. It also comes with
a 40 or so page, full color booklet (7" x 7"). The book visually
describes the process behind the creation of these 2 songs. These songs
were put together visually, then they became aural manifestations. This
well executed pretense isn’t snobbish – it’s genius. What
does music assembled this way sound like? Well, slowly start the drums
and get going until they are making the sounds of dying cymbals, add electronic
effects, bass, whatever creates the image. Do this until the songs crescendo
(up, right?) into a fiery climax of post hardcore vice, violence, misunderstanding,
and then hold on! Don’t worry, it’s a 7" -- it will be
over soon. "Wow, I want to go again!" That’s what you’ll
say, see? Oh yeah, my problem – the fucking thing’s warped!
Still totally on top though… (KR) Black Widows "Arocknaphobia" CD The
all instrumental, all original, all evil Black Widows claim themselves
as 100% monophonic genius. Should have gone balls-out and said 110%; maybe
125%… That’s what I would have done… What’s that?
Oh yeah...and they are not a surf band! They play All-Original Instrumental
Spider Rock! Oooooooooo! Spooky! Really though, I’ll give this shit
a thumbs up. Eighteen surf...damn! Not surf! Not surf! Surfy! Surfy! Can
we compromise on "Surfy?" Is that even a word? Fuck it…
It is now. Eighteen "surfy" and "rockish" tunes…
Something has been bothering me about this though. What is up with the
unsynchronized synchronized dress code? Yeah, you think nobody catches
on to this shit, but I do. Like, they all have black pantyhose on their
heads...but there is that one guy there that cutout eyeholes in his. Why?
Why do you have to be such a separatist? Okay, nevermind… Just say
"Rockish" again… Ha! Ha! How about "Jazzish?"
No, I said "Jazzish," not "Jesush." Ha! Ha! Eh-heh...
(MB) Born With A Tail "$1EP" CDEP Instrumental
Indie Rock from Lynchburg, Virginia. Really good stuff… Four songs
that made me miss my old Archers of Loaf cassette. Wherever did it go?
Come on you cheap fuck! It’s a dollar! All proceeds go towards feeding
the band. Musicians have to eat, too, you know? They’ll be touring
in December (in Philly on the 15th, and at The Sahara in Syosset,
NY on the 17th) if anybody cares to see them play. Give it
a shot. (MB) Burnouts "Close To Break Evil" CD Twelve
heavy hard rock songs that ring a little bit of the Supersuckers and Nashville
Pussy at times… Nothing to write home about, but good enough to give
a listen. Toe-tappin’. That’s the word...err, two-words-put-together...that
I’m looking for. (MB) Colombian Neckties "Abrance!" CD Real
snotty-sounding punk rock, with the emphasis on "rock"…
Twelve songs…and I enjoyed each and every one of them, especially
their cover of "Stay With Me." Give a hoot, would ya? That means
shell out some clams, some dough, some cash, daddy-o! They deserve it.
(MB) Cuts "S/T" LP
So The Cuts decision to move closer to a psychedelic sound that seemed to bust out of them with their move to Texas might even have isolated even more fans from their sound, but fuck man, when you hear something rockin’, when you hear something that gets yer foot tappin’, when you hear something that makes you wanna turn up the fucking volume... THAT’S some good shit. I’m seeing something, or rather noticing something - a resurgence in the psychedelica movement. I see it in my own hometown with bands like The Shams and The Greenhorns, and I see it furthered with the Cuts and bands unknown to my ears as of yet... Last night, on the twilight of sleep I found that those five coke-a-colas I drank while watching Josie and The Pussycats really wired me up. I thought of a few points I definitely wanted to make about The Cuts and Rock and Roll Blitzkrieg as a label... I was worried that I would forget what points I was wanting to hit on concerning both BUT I was also NOT wanting to get out of the comfortable warm bed that had gripped me to write down a few notes to help my memory for the next morning... So I sleep through the night, each time I wake to urinate or whatever I ran through the points I was wanting to hit on in my head and by morning, believe it or not, they were still there. I did The Sleeper. I wake from my slumber and turn on the TV. I mute the sound as I settle into a Teletubbies episode, place some headphones full of The Cuts on my head and just veg-e-tate. I listen to the music and watch the Teletubbies do whatever those crazy fucks do... Adventures and such… Real sureal shit… It seems to fit the music nicely. I have yet to see a band actually do a video using the Teletubbies set as a backdrop; like have the band set up their equipment and play in front of the Teletubbies bunker or something, but for some reason, despite me ever really seeing a picture of the band, I visually saw The Cuts ripping through a version of "Forgot the Question." The Cuts are tough as nails. Their music is more 60-ish than the Lookout Records 7", but it’s really a pretty nice change. This LP is definitely Neoteric and at certain times when The Cuts seem to really brake out into some crazy shit, the band really shines. The Cuts sound is big, deep, layered and at the same time simplistic and devastating. "I Am The Spider", "Do The Sleeper" and the longer really out-there "Wind Up Bird Chronicles" are stand out tracks to me, but the other’s aren’t weak or anything....they are as up-to-par as one could imagine. The Cuts fucking cut! This
record is really a great release, a real treat to listen to. I have hit
on several of those ‘points’ that I mentioned earlier but I
have one more.... I am a big fan of Rock and/or Roll Blitzkrieg as a label;
one of the few labels I really follow anymore... I saw this LP as a big
hurdle for Rock and/or Roll Blitzkrieg as a label. It seemed with every
release the RNRB mustered out, the Cuts LP was just held luminously in
the back, waiting for its time, waiting for its moment. Delays... Delays...
Delays... It all worked out for the best. The Cuts and RNRB took their
time and delivered a FINE product! I felt that RNRB couldn’t move
onward, in a ways of speaking until this LP was released. Well, that hurdle
was overcome now. I feel NOTHING is holding RNRB back. It’s opened
doors and smashed windows from here on out. Feel the cool San Francisco
breeze baby. (SAB) Defnics "Look At Me Mom I’m Not Dead" 7" Yeah,
I remember the Defnics… They have that "51 Percent" song
on "Killed by Death #3" (or is it #4)… ANYWAY, that song
sucked! The vocalist sounds like a cockney reject (not that band!)!
"I wanna be a rich man/ I wanna be a rich man!" Uhh! ANYWAY
(again), the Defincs (or rather two of the original members) have recorded
a brand new song with two new guys in 2001 called "Look At Me Mom
I’m Not Dead." It's a lot more poppy than "51 Percent."
This shit is just so uninspired though, the whole fuckin’ band! I’ll
have to write my Dinosaur theory sometime soon, that’ll explain the
whole thing… Read Shawn’s review, he has a better opinion of
the Defnics. (JD) Defnics "Look At Me Mom I’m Not Dead" 7"
Just because you are a band featured on punk reissue series like Killed By Death and Back to Front doesn’t mean you’re fucking special.... Look at the Nervous Eaters; more importantly look at a "reunion" release of The Nervous Eaters... I am talking about the "No More Idols" 7" released by Penniman Records (with a Y2000 copyright) a while back. Something tells me I reviewed this 7" for Blank Generation but I am not that sure, nor do I feel like actually researching that fact. I made a conscious effort to glance at the other Penniman Records ‘Eaters re-issues and compared that to the Y2000 release and found that they share only one common denominator: Steve Cataldo. If you’re like me this means nothing to you. I’m not, nor have I ever been a real "researcher" about all those Killed By Death bands and such.... But alas, that fucking ‘Eaters 7" blew chunks! All of this is important because like The Defnics, The Nervous Eaters were on Killed By Death Volume’s two and three back in 1990 when I first acquired those FINE chronicles of music HISTORY. I have said it before and I will say it again, those two records shaped my fucking vision of what was REALLY Punk-Rock (with the dash)! I spent all this time talking about The Nervous Eaters in a review about The Defnics because the Nervous Eaters on that Y2000 Penniman Release was a pale comparison of what the Nervous Eaters ONCE WERE. One could look at The Defnics and wonder the same. I even had Scott Stemple e-mailing me and ranting about The Definics asked him to reform with them and how good their very own reunion show went and how the Defnics are back and shit... I was even writing updates with the help of Steve in my own zine. I was hyped beyond all get-out, but also still I had my doubts. Penniman burned me on The Nervous Eaters and as much as I hated to admit it, Smog Veil and this new Defnics thing could do the same.... Well, rest assured. This all-new Defnics, returning with two original members; Robert ‘Bill" Conn and Bob Sablack, along with two other Cleveland punk pioneers rounding out the line-up, including the aforementioned Scott Stemple and Mike Sherwood, is sounding stronger than ever! I mean that. Scott was right about all the hype!!!! I listened to side two first, it’s a live version of "51 Percent" recorded at a recent reunion show in Cleveland. I chose to listen to this track first because I could easily throw on the Killed By version to see if it held up. That wasn’t needed though, attacking like a cheetah, The Defnics fucking rip through the song at brake-neck speed making me wished that I was there. Hell, I should have been there! I would rather have drove to Cleveland and spent $26 dollars a ticket to see The Defnics than the fucking The Sex Pistols a couple years earlier. That’s the FUCK-ING truth.... So, with side two out of the way, it was only logical to turn to side one, featuring an all new track. Like it or not, things were getting a lil’ bit crazy. If The Definics were to really prove themselves, justify their whole existence, they would be judged from this new track. WOW! Once again, a blazer! This track, "Look at Me Mom, I’m Not Dead", is a tale of survival! It is also a studio track! Since I know no band, no matter how big nor small goes into the studio to record JUST ONE song, my mind is running wild with the prospects of MORE material out there, floating around. I know for a fact that this 7" precedes a Smog Veil CD that will compile the rare Defnics tracks along with unreleased recordings and who knows, maybe more tracks or hell, at least some more of those live fireballs that were sampled on side two! So, The Definics are fucking back! It seems that the same sorry state of ‘modern music’ is leading to a new resurgence in this decade, re-unions, re-issues, re-vivals... Re.... Re-Punk! Hurry
up and get your copy, red vinyl and limited to 500! (SAB) Destruction Unit "My Disease" 7"
Dialtones "Playing the Beat on the Radio" 7" EP
The title track is a scorcher, as well as the second part of a double A-Side, "All Night Long." The B-Side though, a Fun Things cover of "Savage", I see as less than lackluster because truthfully, I haven’t exhausted the store of forgotten 80’s New Wave. I’m not totally unfamiliar with bands like The Fun Things, its just that I haven’t gotten round to them as of yet. If the Dialtones did a cover of an Einstein’s Riceboys song or pushed out a version of "Oh Didn’t I Say" by Tubeway Army; THEN I could really discern the Dialtones ability to cover.... With "Savage" I am left wanting another original instead. This
isn’t the first time I heard OF The Dialtones and now that
this 7" was thrown my way, I am keeping my eyes out for more of their
releases, past and present. Overall, a great 7"! (SAB) Dialtones "Playing The Beat On The Radio" 7" I’ve
read a lot of nice comments about these guys, like they sound like the
Devil Dogs and whatnot… Well sorry Dialtones, you don’t have
it on this record. Their music is pretty methodical 3-chord garage punk
rock with a couple added guitar solos here and there that neither have
an origin nor an conclusion. If anything, the Dialtones owe more to the
Pagans, rather than the Devil Dogs. They almost completely rip off the
Pagans’ "Real World" in their tune "All Night Long."
And mother sick, if you’re going to cover "Savage" (one
of the most overly covered tunes in rock ‘n’ roll) at least
sing like you actually care about the song! Drink some Cherry Coke; I
don’t know… (JD) Epoxies "Need More Time" 7"
Erase Errata/Black Dice 7" THE
BLACK DICE are really tricky. I was expecting (since it’s a split
with a band with members with instruments and such) some, "over the"
top shelf sounds. But oh fucking no. Noooooo, oh, no. I’m so unhappy.
Boo. Wait. This is on top. This is a whole side of a 7" that
is spinning at 45 rotations per minute but hardly a peep is being made.
These guys want to be on the bottom shelf I think (opposite of minimal-
wise). It’s just little itty biddy noises and mouse grunts. That
was neat to listen to. "Be careful what you wish for it’s bound
to come true" (Richard Hell). I got lucky. I got what I didn’t
wish for. That was different then I expected, but still cool, and totally
mental. Flip time for this record. ERASE ERRATA – not familiar with
this band, but I’m kind of excited. "Whoh, whoh, heart on the
shelf, 13 is my lucky number" (Mike "Facial" Ness). I’d
like to hear an LP of this band. These 2 songs are fine – shrill,
shrill, high shiver, beats, silverware drawer guitars, duel vocals. The
second song on this increases in tempo and that’s better, but na
na this. "Sound" does not = "songs" -- plain and simple.
I’ll listen to the new LP, if I can listen to it for free. Artistic
movements are not an excuse for being boring. Angular is no excuse for
"listening cat naps". Just because you were already down there
is no excuse. (KR) Flaming Sideburns "Cantan En Espanol!!" 7"
Flip Tops/Everyday Sinners "Split" 7" Oh
god…. Where to start with this one? I got this because the Flip Tops
have the singer from Jetpack, a band that put out an amazing single, then,
of course, split up. Well the Flip Tops may have the same killer vocals
as Jetpack, but they certainly don’t have the same guys writing the
songs. Frankly, the best singer on earth couldn’t make this shit
sound good. It’s like that old expression; you can try and try but
you just can’t polish generic garage rock. Just really boring and
uninspired… Looking for some action I flip the record and am greeted
by a wanky cock rock solo. Great. These guys sound like a cross between
a 15th rate Dirtys and a band that would open up for Quiet
Riot at a metal bar in the suburbs. Ugh. If they sin this bad everyday
I’m pretty sure that they’re gonna end up in that special part
of hell reserved for mass murderers, child molesters, and that guy on
the Subway commercials. (SS) Serge Gainsbourg "Rock Around The Bunker" LP This
is so on top... Originally released in 1975 on Mercury, this "reissue"
("shoe" Tommy) is a masterpiece that could only be pulled off
by not a French guy, but a French guy who told Whitney Houston he wanted
to fuck her – live on TV, and it was his show! This is a concept
record. The concept? This is a rock and roll/ sleazy/ lounge-ish/ laid
back LP about Nazis. I shit you not. Take tons of female background vocals
and what sounds like sober ROLLING STONES studio musicians, then mix it
with Gainsbourg’s smooth, sexy romp – grab for your women while
Serge leads this band through such "should be" classics like
"Nazi Rock", "Rock Around The Bunker", "Zig Zig
Avec Toi", and "S.S. In Uruguay". I said to this kid the
other day, "Have you ever heard of Serge Gainsbourg?" He replied,
"That guy’s huge!" In France, Serge is a main face, top
boy, top shelf – this guy is the fucking coolest! Why can’t
I live in a country where making sexy, sexy rock and roll records about
Nazis gets you chicks, cigarettes, television programs, national fame,
and the opportunity to creep out and offend American divas; Bobby Brown’s
coked out wife, no less. Inconceivable! Life is not fucking fair! The
"Totally On Top And Top Shelf" award for October 2001 goes to
Serge "I Want To Fuck You" Gainsbourg. (KR) Gene Defcon "Come Party With Me 2000" CD This is a limited edition release, limited to 2000 copies. There’s 47 total songs, so this one is really packed with a lot of varied influences, but for the most part it’s like a modern mixture of early Beat Happening and Atom and His Package with humorous dark humor ALA The Dead Milkmen or The Minutemen. Warning, if you like rock and roll and the thoughts of one guy with drum machines, keyboards, guitars and god knows what else just REPULSES you, OR you can’t begin to comprehend that 1.) The person on the cover is a GUY (Eugene Defcon) and seems to have a near philosophy of ‘The Party’ worked out and talks about scoring with chicks LIKE ALL THE OTHER DUDED (but actually has respect for them) or 2.) One song actually talks about recreational use of ecstasy, then PLEASE stay away! This CD is very out there, very, very OUT THERE! I would be untrue to the Neoteric Punk/Wave itself if I was to ignore Gene Defcon as something OTHER than Neoteric. I mean, some may find it hard to see bands like The Piranhas and Gene Defcon sharing the trenches side by side, but I don’t. Gene Defcon is adventurous. Lewis & Clark if you will… I will admit, not everything on this CD is right up my alley… But mostly if you don’t like a particular song, chances are before you realize you don’t like it, its over and who knows what’s next. Out of the 47 songs on this CD, there are some real hits, one in particular I must talk about, it’s a song called "Punks and Skins." This song is quite honestly one of the best songs I have ever heard. A different version of this song appears on the K Records release "Have a Good Time" EP as "Extension Woes." What can I say? It just does the trick! In fact, all the song’s from the "Have a Good Time" EP are here in different versions and of the only other Defcon release I have, which is also on K Records, "Baby Hallelujah", only the title track (as far as I can tell, because I am still going through all the stuff as I write this.) is a repeat. Talk
is cheap. My balls are hairy. You like what you see from the post-riot
grrl movement like Sleeter-Kinny, or more in the neighborhood of Le Tigre,
and like what you read so far, give ol’ Defcon a chance. Me, I’m
hooked… I am however going to ask you, the avid Blank Generation
reader to do one thing for me, when/if you see Eugene Defcon, shake his
hand and pat him on the back for me and say, "Shawn Abnoxious sez
well done." and two, tell him that I HIGHLY suggest that he read
Radio Free Albemuth by Philip K. Dick.... E’vrybody’s
in the party!!!!! (You must read the book to see why it is imperative
that Eugene learns of this, just pass along the message fuck-head). (SAB) Gimmies "Get It Right Now" 7" I
make it a point to buy anything I can get from Japan that looks even halfway
decent, and unfortunately that’s just what this is, halfway decent.
It isn’t bad or anything, but it’s definitely missing something.
Maybe it’s originality. I mean it is better than say, the Intimate
Fags, but it sure ain’t no Radio Shanghai, y’know? It sort of
reminds me of the Dialtones, but I like this more because they have Japanese
accents. These guys could turn around and shove these words down my throat
someday, but they aren’t there yet. Maybe next time. (SS) Goddamn Gentlemen "Sex-Caliber Horsepower" CD Whiskey Fueled. Whiskey influenced. Voodoo. Black magic. Satan. Flames. Rock. Rock. Rock. Roll. Roll. Roll. Hot Rod Cars. Brill-Cream... I refer to every oldster hot-rod car I see at car shows or driving down the road as ‘57 Chevy’s despite their make and model or even brand. They are all ‘57 Chevy’s to me. This is the second full-length for these Chicagoans. Well they aren’t really from Chicago, the press release plainly states that they are from Portland, Oregon but I almost left it as so just to fuck with those who would be fucked with by saying something as such. The Goddamn Gentlemen deliver thirteen (oh, didn’t see that lil’ bit of rock and ’or roll culture at first) tracks of rip, rockin’ garage-punk MADNESS. Balls How many of the five-man roster the Gentlemen field have tattoos including the number ‘13’ you think? I say at least two but no more than three. I will even go so far as to say at least one member has a leftist Anarchist tattoo of sorts, maybe the classic "Keep Warn Burn Out The Rich" logo.... All my jadedness aside, this isn’t a half bad CD. Imagine equal doses of rockabilly and 60’s rock mixed with The Candy Snatchers. There’s keyboards and organs and such, in one standout track in particular that I can almost guarantee will end up on my Blank Generation radio show (Coming Soon: SLAVE TO THE LOW WAVE), "Shark Attack"; there’s even some kick ass sax-o-mo-phone playing.... This release isn’t without its moments though, I see worthiness in the first track, "Odd Rod", and the last track "Duck, You Sucka", but what really got me off, other than "Shark Attack" was "Hip Snake Handler." The Goddamn Gentlemen remind me first and foremost of a band I once knew very well here in Cincinnati called Waco A Go-Go. Cha-os!!!! Rock and Roll!!! Unfortunately the earth itself opened up and swallowed them alive. The
Goddamn Gentlemen: Rockin’ Roll enough for the Rockers and Rock-abilly
enough for the Pompadours. (SAB) Goddamn Gentlemen "Sex-Caliber Horsepower" CD Real
fucked-up blues… Real down-and-dirty rock ‘n’ roll…
Add a little sax and farfisa, and you’ve got The Goddamn Gentlemen.
Thirteen shakin’ songs with real funny titles. Young Lions Conspiracy?
You got it. (MB) Gyogun Rend’s "Fish Eyed Soul" LP The
hell with Detroit, what city is the Gyogun Rend’s from? Based on
this album, I’m gonna make the ridiculous assumption that wherever
they’re from is the place to be. A hotbed of musical activity if
you will. For those of you who read, you may have heard from our beloved
Mark Murrmann that these guys’ records pale in comparison to their
live performance. But, dammit, I haven’t seem ‘em live, and,
funny thing, when I heard this a few days before reading Mr. Murrmann’s
last column, I thought, "these guys sound like they’d be great
live." Why? Why? Because, it’s totally crazy, over the top,
tight, energetic, and the works. Let’s concentrate on the works.
They show an affinity for hiss and treble like the Drags and the Mummies.
Nice… The main singer screams like he’d be great at death metal,
but, lucky for me, he chose to sing in a punk band that sounds at times
like the Pack. Outstanding… There are many neat vocal trade-offs.
Cool… The guitar lines always tweak out and mutate whatever standard
punk riff they’re rippin’ out. Lovely… You can hear some
garage, surf, rock n roll, punk—especially punk--hardcore, pop and
noise in this, and it doesn’t sound bad at all, ‘cause it’s
raw, unified, minimal and brutal. Amazing… Let’s concentrate
on shutting up, and playing the record again. Okay… (SH) Hibachi Joe "The Zipper" CD I’m
not lying when I tell you this is one of the best bands I’ve had
the pleasure of hearing. I thought their last CD was good, but this one
blows that one out of the water. Straight from the garage! A blend of
rockabilly and surf that I don’t think anyone else can compare to.
The title track sounds like someone sent Man Or Astro-Man? to a high school
prom, and "Pedro" (the tale of a girl’s jealous father
and his gun) is bound to be everyone’s favorite. Get it. Now. (MB) Hives "a.k.a. I-D-I-O-T" CDEP/12" EP Great
EP, almost as good as their "Veni Vidi Vicious" album…
It sure doesn't take long for the Hives highly original "Japanese
garage/new wave" meets "rock punk" hybrid to infect you
and once you're hit, your ears will surely be buzzing to these 6 songs
on a very regular basis. Think of the early Registrators having a lovechild
with the MC5 and you come pretty close to pegging these suave motherfuckers
sound down. Trashy, yet tight and rocking at the same time… Easily
one of the best bands to come out of Sweden in the last few years…
I just wish they'd record some new songs (this first came out on Burning
Heart sometime in '98) already! (SA) I Love Rich "The Greatest Rock ‘N’ Roll Record Of All Time" CD Ha
Ha Ha! More like the campy-est rock ‘n’ roll record of all time!
I Love Rich is a group outta Chicago that should really be called I LOVE
KISS. The vocalist sounds just like Paul Stanley. I’ll have
to checkout these guys’ live act; the pictures on the CD sleeve look
like it’d be really…umm…interesting. You wanna know what
these guys sound like? Just read some of their song titles- "World’s
Greatest Lover," "Feel The Heat," and "Doctor Tung."
Their childhood rock ‘n’ roll dreams are warped, demented, and
will undoubtedly come true. (JD) Le Shok "From LA to NY" 6"EP
A release like this is really for established fans. What you have are three songs with what has come to be expected from Le Shok; frantic guitars, sturdy drums, deranged keyboards and up-front vocals. Neoteric punk/wave at its finest! Le Shok just don’t play music, they use it as their weapon. After building up a rather impressive catalogue of releases now, Le Shok continue to be a band that delivers consistently great releases. This EP features three songs all recorded live on KXLU radio in Los Angeles. The first track, a cover of the best band to ever live, The Screamers "hit" "122 Hours of Fear", which is broken into two separate parts on Screamers releases but on this release, Le Shok combine both parts with fucking precision. By covering The Screamers and doing it so well, it’s going to garner even more attention for this band. The second side features the last two live songs of the release which have previously appeared on their debut LP, We are Electrocution; "Gimmie Something, Help Me Please", and an intense version of "Do The Dramatic." Live, Le Shok is even more dangerous. I can see that now. There’s a certain level of looseness that one could expect from Le Shok. As once thought and expected by me, they use this looseness to their advantage. Due to a high energy level that I can also see in their music, these songs are delivered with a newness not usually expected with live releases. I really wish maybe Kapow Records would release the rest of the set or some other label like Deadbeat or Rock and Roll Blitzkrieg would maybe step up... I mean, FUCK! For the greater good of The Neoteric Punk/Wave! Doesn’t my words mean anything these days? I
know that in the near future, meaning the next couple of months, Le Shok
have several releases planned. Just in time for my Blank Generation 2001
summary! If you have yet to latch onto what Le Shok are doing, do yourself
a fucking favor dumbass... (SAB) Les Sexareenos "14 Frenzied Shakers" LP/CD
But
barring alla that hoopla, the reason I dig this album so much is because
of its simplicity- something that's all but missing from good rock 'n'
roll these days. It's great to hear that a few outfits can still ride
the paper-thin lofi train without sounding like shit. In fact, I think
these guys give the Mummies a run for their money in terms of no-brainer
catchiness, and those of you who love said band would do yourselves
some good to check out this one. (EL) Lewd "Roughouse" 7" Wow!
Cool looking split red/white colored vinyl! Too bad it was wasted on the
fuckin' Lewd! Wait is this the same Killed by Death punk rock group with
new material, or a new group of the same name? These guys don’t sound
like the "Kill Yourself" Lewd. Either way, I always thought
the Lewd were overrated, way overrated. So this Lewd (whomever they are,
old or new) plays dingy, uninteresting punk rock. The vocalist tries to
act snotty, but relies on brief, dubbed female whines that end up doing
a better job than he did. The guitars are either playing the same old
chugging riffs, or they’re attempting to be clever by adding pointless
little guitar solos that do more to annoy rather than to appease one’s
ears. Looks like another wall-ornament! (JD) Mensen "Delusions of Grandeur" CD/LP This
girl-fronted unit from Norway threw me off a little at first when I saw
them in lame matching cowboy hats on the back cover of this disc. You
pick up a CD like this and think to yourself, "Whew, Cliché City…
Bet this is some lame Nashville Pussy, JP5 knock-off." Couldn’t
have been more wrong though, as Mensen rock pretty fucking hard here on
Delusions of Grandeur and don’t sound anything like either
those bands. First thing I think of when I listen to Mensen are those
Nordic gods of rock themselves, Turbonegro. They have big Turbonegro-esque
meaty guitars and production, and have a few songs that sound directly
influenced by them ("City Of Lights" and "Hey You!"
in particular), but their songs also sound structured in a No-Talents
kind of way. Some definite power pop influence here too, and a sound that
has more BALLS than most redneck BIG ROCK guy groups could ever hope to
have. I like this quite a bit. (SA) Necros "Conquest For Death (Plus)" LP I heard Blank Generation gives its review writers a lot of leniency. Fucking a… Let’s start with this one. If you see this boot floating around, grab it! The cover is gray with 2 people attacking each other, and it says "Necros" real big and "Conquest For Death" not as big, both in red. On the back is a pop artish looking red and black square scheme with non-hardcore lettering. Included: "Conquest For Death" LP, tracks from "Process Of Elimination" 7", the "Sex Drive", "I.Q. 32" and "Conquest For Death" 7"s. The mastering is amazing. Now I’m a real jackass, so don’t get confused and think that "amazing" means any of this "audiophile = cleaning things up for the CD generation" shit. This isn’t mastered in my idea. As with most boots and KBD shit, the records are made from tapes made from the original records that are made from the actual tapes. Listen to a CD bootleg of a Killed By Death or Bloodstains comp. — holy shit, all the record hiss is on the CD, too!? Neat! That’s such insightful "behind the scenes" magic. So back to this thing, what you get is in my opinion, cooler than it being re-mastered. On this, you get to hear the differences between the mastering levels when the original records came out. Obviously some black-market Phil Spector tried out his "keep the level the same and it will be the same." You’re so stupid! This thing gets quiet and then when you’re not paying attention, gets your neighbors calling the landlord. Awesome! It’s more like you were there when these things were coming out, or a validation for those who were. "Hear the new NECROS dude, that mastering is all fucked up." No 90/00’s! "I’m living…in the ‘80’s." I’m also an Ohio ex-patriot. These guys were Ohio ex-patriots. They brought the "hate school" vibe with them though, to Michigan. Originally based out of the Maumee, Ohio area, this creates an interesting situation. I’ve heard that they are from Lima, Ohio as well. Many people would recognize the name of the NECROS’ singer, Barry Henssler. Supposedly he "partied" as a youth with PINK FLOYD. This liaison was orchestrated by his father, a respected professor (and undoubtedly a hippy), and I suspect this "encounter" may have sewn the seeds for Henssler’s later (and undoubtedly a more prime unit moving) band BIG CHIEF – grunge and funk combos just aren’t very cool in my opinion. I’d also like to mention a really big influence of mine when I was a kid – Todd Swalla, NECROS drummer, and later drummed for one of my all time favorite bands, THE LAUGHING HYENAS (my favorite song is a tie between "Here We Go Again" and "Outlaw" – "That was my only regret!"). But I’ll always remember talking to him at the "new" Penguin Pub (Pub "Down"). He had aluminum foil lining the undersides of his drumheads. Supposedly, this was a "Bonzo" Bonham trick and I’ll tell you, it worked way better then the "drugs and vodka" trick he worked up later. Anyway, I didn’t play without the foil for a long time after that. If anyone’s interested, it creates a really sharp, noisy, sizzling sound, especially on the floor tom. Totally awesome! But let’s get back to the NECROS proper. Never before in the history of Ohio punk rock/hardcore has there a band from such a small town, so early in the game, and so influential to this very day. This is the sound of pissed Ohio kids in a little known, fucked up Ohio niche — the ‘burbs/stick- ‘burbs. Ohio is one of our country’s 5 most populated states. If that’s not still true now (it’s also #2 behind Mississippi in 20- something people who move out of state), it’s then within 10. This is where all white kids from Ohio are from, basically – the suburbs and white trash suburbs. Ohio kids are rarely from a city -- there’s simply too much suburb- space that just has to be filled. Stiv was from my town, Youngstown. Cheetah was from a really weird Pennsylvania/Ohio border town in PA, the PAGANS from a Clevo suburb, I forget the name of right now (Lakewood, Solon, something, sorry), but they never represented that with their bands -- these bands represented their local metropolis, or moved on immediately. The "New York Rock And Roll" leopard print thing is so DEAD BOYS derived. That means a lot to the soldiers in Cleveland, but essentially the DEAD BOYS weren’t really from Cleveland. These people are Ohio-ans. Some would say Midwesterners, but I say North Coast- Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana. People will shoot me for this but let’s let western PA succeed from that Philly/Eastern area (but can we keep the DEAD MILKMEN?). Sorry St. Louis, but Nelly is the best thing I’ve heard recently, and don’t get me started on my theories that Nebraska is the uncharted, untapped resource waiting for youth culture, and Oklahoma (or do they go West now?) — we know DEBRIS, NOTA, and FLAMING LIPS. Do I hear a comeback? Do I have a point? Well, I guess I do not. Here are a few facts for you all. 100 of the first pressing of the self titled NECROS 7" came in a special "Skate Park" sleeve that was hand numbered, and sold at a NECROS’ gig at Endless Summer Skate Park. That’s awesome, and I will pay upwards of $5 to anyone that wants to sell that. "Sex Drive" - Six copies made with special "SEX PISTOLS" sleeve. Another quote for those of you who have no previous NECROS’ knowledge: "Great powerful hardcore with that old T&G sound à la NEGATIVE APPROACH." I’m
an endless source of information tonight (Internet). I’m sure much
of it is false, but I’ve always simply believed what I want even
if I’m pretty sure it’s not true. "But they moved out of
Ohio too, Kenny!" What do you want me to say? I’m in California
right now, doi. I forgot to review this-- totally on top Midwest skate
thrash that makes me proud to be a Buckeye, and a North Coaster at the
same time. (KR) NRA "New Recovery" CD/LP Basic
straight forward melodic hardcore… It’s not exactly brimming
with excitement or originality, but it’s not wholly bad either. NRA
sound quite a bit better than most post-Suffer-era Bad Religion
melodic hardcore bands do, but I dunno, for modern hardcore to do it for
me the same way early 80’s core always has, it has to really bring
the hammer down (like Poison Idea), but without sounding like a painfully
slow neo-death metal band (like every band that’s ever been on Victory,
Revelation, etc…). NRA certainly don’t fit into that "metal
disguised as hardcore" category, but they sound like they’re
lightly tapping in loose nails here rather than fucking smashing them
back into the cinderblock where they belong. The interesting thing is
that this Dutch band has been around FOREVER and yet, never really had
any proper North American releases, where they’d have probably done
pretty well with this sound in the mid 90’s. I’d be interested
to hear what their early 90’s stuff on Blitzcore sounded like, but
New Recovery is just a little too hardcore-lite to do it for me.
(SA) Pattern "Wet Circuit City" 7" I’m
not sure how many of you expect a carbon copy of the Peechees, but if
you do, look elsewhere—just ‘cause the Pattern features
ex-member Chris Appelgren doesn’t mean he’s still aping the
same sound. Instead, you should expect a decent straightforward rock single,
stripped down, simple and, uh, relatively short; maybe what the Makers
would sound like if these days if they wore less eye makeup. I expect
to hear better stuff from these guys in the near future... (EL) Pattern "Immediately" CDEP
PCP Roadblock "Live In Californie!" 7" This record gives me a headache. This record gives me a stomachache. But it’s one hell of a fucking ache… If you’re like me, you like to have painful records in your collection. If not, stop reading this — don’t worry, I won’t fuck up your "Rock And Roll" records, or your "Powerpearls" collection (you just stay away from my ALLMAN BROTHERS collection). Whatever the merits of those "fun" records you possess though, they really are not comparable to this 7". I’m not really saying "Live In Californie!" is a better crafted song than "First Time", or even music – but it’s fucking good whatever it is. What a great/sickening sound… Ahhh – that’s the stuff. The music that I listen to must make me feel something. Whether what or how I am forced to feel is a Lou Reed "Berlin" calm/sad, the fist pumping, rock and roll and drink with my boys attack of COCKSPARRER, the hair singeing, destroy speed race of GAUZE, or New Zealand psyche masters DRAGON, I need substance. I need something to latch onto no matter how filthy. In fact, the more disgusting the better… In fact, it only has to qualify as music to one person, and that’s Kenny. And I think I already made it clear that I don’t care about that shit. I don’t fill gaps in my record collection by making sure I have everything by "so and so" -- I fill them by making sure I have something solid to run to no matter what mood I am in. I need a lot of help in this life. Ok, transition time… I got this record when I saw this band play. Maybe I should start there. Recently, Jaime Stillman rolled through town with a "band" of his, NEW TERROR CLASS. As I am a fan of Jaime, his other band PARTY OF HELLICOPTERS, and if not all of the releases he’s put out, I still appreciate what he does with his label. So I headed down. Plus he’s from Kent so I got in free. I’ve always enjoyed watching that kid play the drums. He is creative, but hammers them at the same time. I’ve often said that he’s like a post punk Alex Van Halen. This guy from PCP ROADBLOCK though? Now this guy is also creative and hits really hard. They both pull similar metal type drum moves from his ass from time…to time. But I think this kid from ROADBLOCK took Jamie in a department that I never really thought about — he looked unhinged. These faces he was making are the faces pacifists make as they punch somebody in the face. "Sorry, I don’t like this but I have lost control of myself and have to do it, dude!" Everything is out the window, and no drum was too far away to punch. The bass and guitar? Totally wild, reserved when it was time for reservation, and very original—speaking of blurs, their guitar player possesses one that is sometimes called his right arm I imagine, but typically utilizes that when they aren’t going very fast so it sounds as if bugs are bugging you really fucking loudly. That’s just the instrumentalists… On vocals ladies and gentlemen, my vote for the most on top front man of the year, that guy from this band who I met and when I met him he had a giant handlebar moustache and a tan shirt on with a suburban mom motif that said "Christmas In The Country" and he put on a mask of an old man with a built in rubber ball cap… Then the band started… Remember them, all that shit I was saying earlier? They started, stopping then started starting, dicing, stopping, starting, pounding, sound, lives, menace, real life, real hate, real band. So then "he" began screaming, and I don’t mean like singing loud to the music, either. I don’t mean screaming to the music, either. I just mean screaming. The band stopped, he just wrecked things, ran around throwing his body on the floor while what? You guessed it —screaming! The band packed up. I do not feel he would’ve stopped if people didn’t start talking to him and bringing him around. He was in that place that I insist music that I bother to listen to takes me. He was feeling it! Now
this 45 is one song covering 2 sides of the record. It’s some weird
guitar and bass noise, a drum spectacular, and you guessed it — screaming!
This thing is scary and inspiring all at the same time. They were terrible
and definitely one of the best bands I’ve ever seen at the same time.
I felt so much better after their set — through them, I worked out
my week’s worth of evil, a week’s worth of my nasty life –
my dirty, nasty deeds. Don’t forget that this band has (and executed
at that fateful show) great songs too, amazing, weird hardcore or something
(just know that it was intelligent, erratic, and tough) — they just
didn’t bother to play one when they did the "session" for
the record that I bought off of them. I like that all the better –
those bastards fucked me…like a fox (John Foxx). I want something
catchy, funny, dirty, affirming, alarming, inconceivable, useless —
anything. This record is a very harsh combination. That’s my idea
of rock and roll. That’s my idea of punk rock too. That’s music
to me. This is great music. Something full on is on the top shelf. "Decent"
versions of "real music" are all "real retro." "I
hate your assface!" (Corky, Waiting For Guffman). I’m
now going to go listen to Willie Nelson, and that’s true. Feel it.
(KR) Piranhas "Dictating Machine Service" 7" <Danger}{Regiment>
(JD) Pram Bath "Hey, Girl e.p." CD
Reds "It’s About Time" CD/LP To me, the Reds will always be remembered for taking garage-punk to new levels by way of simplicity. When other bands were upping their cock-rock quotient by adding intricate musicianship, the Reds attacked the beat with a completely different (although not unheard of) approach—they scrapped the bullshit to achieve maximum aggressiveness. They sculpted their tunes into minute-and-a-half long blasts, turned down the gain a bit on their amps and saturated everything in genuine attitude. It worked like a charm too. Their first album perfectly balanced garage-punk’s short/fast/loud ideals with art-punk’s smirking ingenuity. I’d like to say that It’s About Time picks up where their first album left off, but I’d feel kinda silly if I reduced their second album as nothing more than a continuation of the same old story. It doesn’t just blindly plow ahead. They’re still the Reds—their songs are still jerky, abrasive and calculatingly cool—but they’ve evolved. Seems like they’re more confident with the pop side of their sound. And it works a hell of a lot better than you’d think it would. Songs like "You Never Listen" and "Dead End Town" pit melody against trash to produce unforgettable hooks, and upon my fifteenth or sixteenth listen to this album in the last three days, every tune still grabs me. Or I still grab them… Don’t
hesitate. Don’t think or make excuses—just go fetch. The Reds
are one of the few modern day groups who mattered. It’s About
Time proves that they weren’t just a one-trick pony. (EL) Registrators "90’s Complete Sessions 90-97 1st CD, Demo, Rare Tracks, Singles" CD
Splish
Splash! (JD) Riff Randells "Who Says Girls Can’t Rock" 7" Remember
when the Donnas didn’t suck? It may be a totally token comparison
for a band (now) comprised of all younger girls, but this is totally reminiscent
of pre "American Teenage Butt Rock Machine" era Donnas, with
a little bit of the mid nineties Lookout sound thrown in for kicks. It’s
got that same fun, infectious vibe, shouted backing vocals, and sweet
yet not too innocent lyrics. The first line of one of the songs is "You’re
lame like a cum stain on the wall." Yes! Now that’s the kinda
brilliant retardation the world needs more of. Best of all they follow
Joe’s cardinal rule for seven inches - they write better songs than
the ones they cover. "Psycho Boyfriend" is so catchy it’s
unreal. Oh yeah, they’re also really cute to boot. (SS) Sandiest "Never I’m Not Down" CD/LP Japan’s
answer to the Jam… Sandiest is a mod group that perfectly emulates
the Jam’s vocals and sound. That raspy voice, those vacant guitar
chords and hollow drum beats…it’s uncanny. So, is there any
difference between Sandiest and the Jam? Sure. Sandiest may have taken
the Jam’s sound, but their songs are their own. Every song on this
album has been exquisitely crafted into a catchy and complex pop tune.
Sandiest’s lyrics, on the other hand, are another story. While the
Jam wrote about the current events in England during their time in such
a precise and poetic manner that listening to their songs is like taking
a trip to London circa the late 1970’s (I mean, can you honestly
listen to "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" and feel nothing?),
Sandiest’s lyrics are very vague and conventional. Like in the tune
"The Mindless Crowd," one verse goes – "As long as
there’s a target they’ll go on/The time just passes slowly moving
on/Everything is as planned, the mindless crowd/Stands out starkly listlessly."
Those are pretty routine lyrics. However, if they didn’t include
a lyric sheet I would have no idea what they are singing. So if you like
any early Jam records and want to hear a Japanese group do everything
flawlessly, except the lyrics of course, then you should hear Sandiest.
(JD) Smogtown "Domesticviolenceland" LP/CD This, their full-length follow up to Furhers of the New Wave seems to be closer to the premiere Smogtown release (in my opinion), their Beach City Butchers 10". On Domestic Smogtown exhibit even more cynical approach to the life that surrounds them. Smogtown’s songs seem to be a saddening document of the further degradation of the American dream. They tell it like it is. The truth is a valuable and rare thing these days. Smogtown acts as the antithesis to the vision and appearance of life as portrayed by The Beach Boys. Smogtown are here. Now. Furhers was a good record, I would even consider it a great one, but it lacked in something that I and other music enthusiast blamed on production- blamed on production because it was easy, but no offense Mr. Peters because really, deep down, those same enthusiast knew that Smogtown were much, much better... They just weren’t showing it. Then, after Furhers, the seemingly endless stream of Smogtown material in the form of 7" singles and EP’s stopped. It was almost as if Smogtown seemed to take a step back and re-group. A three song EP on Hostage Records was the sole release for Smogtown in 2000. In that 7" there was some liner notes alluding to a great Smogtown resurgence of sorts.... Then along came Domesticviolenceland. So, like the switch-blade new wave is back. The New Beach Alliance does not falter!!!! This is a fucking great release! Smogtown keep the punk-rock (with the dash) flame alive. Some stand out tracks include "Neutron Blond", my favorite track; "Sneaking Out", "Breakdown Shakedown" the title track itself, "Domesticviolenceland" where Chavez sings, "This new development/ We’ll pack the robots in/Rows of printed houses/is the goal for them’...." Fucking eerie. Cutting like a modern form of DI in content, Smogtown’s music is the after effect of a movie like Suburbia.... If only Penelope Spherris would do a REAL legitimate sequel to Suburbia: 20 years after where we would find out what happened to the original cast lives and how they dealt with "growing up" and how some of them would interact with their children who would listen to bands like Smogtown...just a thought. Really
though, I knew I would like this CD from the first time I saw it. On the
cover: A highly contrasted photo of the band that includes who I think
is Chip Beef, Smogtown’s bassist, who is wearing a beret! Gear up!!!!
Smogtown are back, but it’s like they never really left… Thank
god. (SAB) Spits "S/T" CD The
Spits...from Washington...the state... The Spits who were on the flipside
of that Briefs/Spits 7" on Dirtnap Records... The Spits are the Ramones...the
new Ramones...Ramones 2001. Buzzsaws...Mumbling...SK8ING...The Spits.
(JD) Stations "A Positive Side To Negativity" CD Yawn!
Very boring no-frills punk rock from Virginia that sounds probably closest
to L.E.S. Stitches or Blanks 77’… What bothers me the most about
bands like this is not the fact that their sound has been done a million
times before, its that this sound was never any fucking good to begin
with! This shit better serves as a cure for sleep deprivation if you ask
me, than shit the kids are going to want to mosh to these days. Like….
Get a clue! Unfortunately, that mohawk the singer guy has on the liner
note picture certainly doesn’t win this band any points for having
one to begin with. This is exactly the type of band that a friend of mine
recently described to me as "non-adjective punk." Unfortunately,
I can’t think of a more fitting term the Stations. (SA) Strokes "Is This It" CD
So let it be established to the reader that the Strokes are known around the world. They are in the press, touring all the time, doing ‘it'. Jealous? That’s why a lot of people don’t like the Strokes. They are envious of the group’s prosperity. Not me though, I’m, as I’ve always been, in it strictly for the music; and the Strokes’ music is some of the best music out there. So, now that the reader has been told how I feel about the Strokes, I should explain to he or she why I feel that the Strokes’ music is some of the finest music around. It has to do with rhythm. It also has to do with melody. And, I might add dear reader, it has to do with timing. While the Strokes’ sound isn’t groundbreaking or new, they are superb at penning solid rhythmic tracks, never letting up on the beat. And they combine that rhythm with a harmonious melody that is quite catchy and, if I may be so candid as to say, just captivating. The timing has to do with how the band reacts to one another. When certain members chime in at the right time. A guitar solo here, a cymbal crash there, stressing the right amount of power to a certain lyric, the Strokes are one of the steadiest groups I have ever heard. And if the reader is a regular here at blankgeneration.com, I’m sure he or she has read about the Strokes from other staff members. Comments have been made about how they sound like the Velvet Underground, Pixies, and the Buzzcocks. Let me say to the esteemed reader of blankgeneration.com that all of these groups do have a certain influence on the Strokes, however, the Strokes are not the new Velvet Underground, Pixies, Buzzcocks, or whoever. The Strokes sound like the Strokes, period. It must also be known to the reader that I am reviewing the domestic version of the Strokes’ Is This It record, released on 10/09/01. It has come to my attention that because of the terrorist attacks on New York City on 09/11/01 the Strokes decided, before the official domestic release date of Is This It, to take the song "New York City Cops" off the album and replace it with the song "When It Started." I must tell the reader of this review that this saddens me, but the sadness is infinitesimal. I am sad because the Strokes, while still playing "New York City Cops" in their live shows, do not believe in the song enough to brave the wrath of the public and keep the song on the domestic album. To those readers who have not heard the song and are wondering what all the commotion is about, well let me explain. The chorus of the aforementioned tune goes – "New York City Cops/ New York City Cops/ New York City Cops/ They Ain’t Too Smart!" If the Strokes are bold enough to write a song depicting their distaste’s for how the NYPD operates, and play the song live, they should be bold enough to keep "New York City Cops" on the domestic release of Is This It. As I said to the reader in the paragraph above, my sadness over the loss of "New York City Cops" is minuscule. It is because of those inane lyrics - "New York City Cops/ New York City Cops/ New York City Cops/ They Ain’t Too Smart!" Please Julian Casablancas (the vocalist and songwriter for the Strokes), you can do better than that! America is quite lucky to have the song "When It Started" instead of "New York City Cops." With
that being said, I think it’s about time to conclude this comprehensive
review of the Strokes’ exalting eleven-song album Is This It.
The group has been labeled the new ‘it’ band by thousands of
people. Ironically the Strokes are ‘it’. And, reader of this
extensive record review, anyone who says they have some aversion towards
the Strokes’ music is simply lying, because no one could resist the
Strokes’ infectious songwriting. (JD) Strokes "The Modern Age" CDEP There
certainly is a lot of hype behind The Strokes, isn’t there? They’re
the new Velvet Underground! They’re the new Stooges! They’re
Television AND the Ramones! However, they’re apparently levelheaded
enough not to read their own press, and for that I’d give them a
fair shake. I thought I’d wait until their full-length came out,
but seeing how it was held back I shelled out the cash for the single.
The first time I listened to it, I absolutely hated "Modern Age",
thought "Last Nite" was ‘okay’ at best, and really
liked "Barely Legal." When the CD ended, I thought to myself,
"big deal." Then I started listening to it again...and again...and
again and again and again until I was trapped and it completely grew on
me. So yeah, it’s true. The Strokes are an amazing band. (MB) Strokes "Is This It" CD/LP I know. As an avid reader of blankgeneration.com, you must be shaking your head to see yet a THIRD review of this album in the last couple of weeks, in addition to every other mainstream magazine in the entire fucking world going apeshit over these art-school dropouts. But you don’t actually read Rolling Stone and/or Spin to find out what a good album really is, do you? Fuck no! You come here because you know that Blank Generation gives a platform to reviewers who don’t have their heads up their asses. So I guess that brings us to the burning question: Why have three Blank Generation staffers (including the commander & chief himself, Joe Domino) given this album a glowing review (as I’m about to do) in the last few weeks? I mean if Spin likes this shit, it can’t be good, right? Fuck you! Didn’t you just agree that you don’t go to Spin and/or Rolling Stone to know what’s a good album? Yeah, then quit your fuckin’ whining about us going "mainstream" and trust us like you always have. Why? Because the Strokes’ album Is This It isn’t just it (figuratively speaking), it might very well be one of the best albums released this year (literally). Rock critics for the obvious reasons have called the Strokes the "next Velvet Underground." Lead vocalist Julian Casablancas sounds uncannily like Lou Reed. They’re arty. They’re from New York. Musically, a good argument can be made that the Velvet Underground probably makes up a good portion of the blueprint for the Strokes sound. However, as our wise editor Joe noted last week in his review of Is This It, the Strokes overall sound is theirs. They do not sound like any one band. You cannot just grab the Buzzcocks, the Velvet Underground and Television, throw them into a blender and expect the Strokes sound, even if all three of those bands’ sounds show up in that of the Strokes. For one thing, the Strokes rhythm section might be tighter than all three of those bands combined. Furthermore, the Strokes take elements from these bands and quite a few others and give it a futuristic spin. This does not sound like music that could be straight-out of the 1970’s. This is music that is ahead of its time. I was skeptical just like the rest of you. When I went to see the band some three weeks ago, the club was packed with a bunch of pseudo-important local rock journalists quipping remarks like, "I bet these guys fucking suck," in anger from their guest-list spots being bumped down a few spaces, not to mention all of the trend hopping, leather clad indie rockers that packed the club two-hundred over its usual capacity in the company of their emo girlfriends. Needless to say, it’s not exactly the kind of atmosphere I like putting myself in on a regular basis when I decide what shows to check out for the month. I even contemplated a few times during the evening whether or not it was worth all the effort involved on my part to weasel my way into a sold-out show. Then the Strokes took the stage and erased all of that with just a few chords into the first song. I was floored. Musically, the Strokes were like an explosion of sonic, droning waves of guitars and drum rhythm. As I noted earlier, their rhythm section is as tight as they come. There is no defined lead guitarist in the Strokes; both guitarists are second to none and are among the fastest, un-palm muted guitar strummers I have ever seen or heard. Nearly every background chord seems to have an intoxicating, deliberately fast-strummed drone to it (similar to that of the Piranhas, minus the snarl). Their drummer might not be the next Keith Moon, but man, let me tell you- He’s fuckin’ amazing. Crisp and precise to the point of drum-machine-like perfection, yet bombastic and subtly explosive at moments when the rhythm section really needs to turn on the afterburners. He carries the fucking rhythm section at times. Everything just seems to work well musically with this band. Not a wasted bass line, guitar chord or drum beat is audible in listening to their songs. While I believe that there is a certain bit of live energy is missing from the album (as with virtually any great live band), every single observation I made above applies to Is This It. Songs
like "Soma," "Alone Together," "Hard To Explain,"
and the explosive concluder "Take It Or Leave It" are among
the best and most infectious songs I’ve heard all year. Is This
It might be as intentionally ironic as album titles go these days,
but at the end of these 11 songs, there is no question left in my mind-
This most-definitely is it. (SA) Sweatmaster "Hold It!" 7" Let’s
see… What can I say about Sweatmaster? Aside from the fact that it
sounds like something a few of my fat-ass friends could use? Sweatmaster
is very rock. Very roll (pretend I’m a foreign tourist when I say
that...you pick the country). Very rock. Very roll. Isn’t that funny?
Very Rock. Very Roll. No, really… Side A: "Hold It!" Side
B: "Wanna See It Done!" I enjoyed both songs a lot. All I could
say was "Wow. This is good. This is awesome," until my sister
said, "Dan. Shut Up. You said that three times." Okay, so she
didn’t really say that, but I’ll bet she was thinking it. (MB) Three Years Down "Snakes Bite" CD & "Sneakin’ In" 7" Three
Years Down… A little bit of the Hellacopters… A lot of the Turbonegro...without
the gay-thing going on (You don’t know that Dan! – Ed.). Not
that I’m "homophobic" or anything, just taking note…
Anyway, I thought these guys were pretty good. I am going to admit to
being super-critical about the artwork, though. I can’t help it.
Here I am feather-dusting my degree once a month and checking the fuckin’
classifieds each week, and these bands are settling for crappy merch.
Oh, and don’t think I’m zeroing in on just these guys. Most
all y’all muthafuckas gone done it! At least find somebody that knows
the importance of kerning! (MB) Trust Fund Babies "S/T" 12" Been
meaning to check these cats out… Yeah, I’m REALLY late, but
Mark seems to really dig ‘em bunches, so I figured, what the fuck…
The Trust Fund Babies are a balls-out, snotty punk rock group – take
the punk from the Stitches and the rock from the Shifters and you'll get
these kids. There’re 12 tracks in all, including "Don’t
Beat On Me," "Kick In Rocks," and "So Lonely."
Still though, this isn’t something I’d listen to on a regular
basis. (JD) TV Idols "17, Desperate and All Messed Up" LP
TV Killers "’Splosh You Up" 7" France!
I was there! Bon jour! J’suis punk! Je adore les TV Killers! See!
I can totally speak the language of love. So, like, yeah! The new tracks
from these cats are by far their best ever! Total garage punk mania with
a Kill by Baguettes boing. Fuzz my guitars and vox me up! The ‘Killers
are back for, like, the 50th round of gin and tonic. Buy their
new 7"; give ‘em some francs, cause these Frenchmen aren't even
smashed yet! (JD) Urban Waste "S/T" 7" One
more must have boot from our good friends in Ethicsville. If you’ve
heard the URBAN WASTE song "Public Opinion" from the first Killed
By Hardcore, then nothing else needs to be said – this is 1982 hardcore
from the streets of New York City. But remember I said 1982. Remember
too, that I didn’t write "NYHC". This isn’t that stuff
at all. This is noisy and fast and has tons to do with old Posh Boy in
sound — tons of punk rock intact here, but still not for the weak
at heart. Let’s compare a band. Ok, this reminds me of a rougher,
harder charging version of KRAUT (not that I don’t like KRAUT). This
band’s "blazing" is totally "blazing" —
it’s a fucking blur. 8 songs pack this thing with no room left for
hiding. Totally on top, top shelf business, and oh yeah, I must admit
there’s tons of rapping on this…sike. "Ugh" to guitars
"mixed" with rapping. I ain’t with that! Unless they’re
those real funky JB ALLSTARS’ guitars like on Dr. Dre songs. This
isn’t that at all though. 1982 – they rocked the city that now
hosts "Ground Zero". Bomb all! (KR) V/A "Deadbeat Records Presents: Viva La Vinyl #4" LP For those of you that are new to this "punk-rock" thing; stumbling across a site like Blank Generation when there just isn’t any action in the Blink 182 chat room, or for those of you that are COMPLETELY in the fucking dark, Deadbeat Records Viva La Vinyl series features a slew of bands paying a homage of sorts to the vinyl LP format and donating one song each for a compilation that according to Deadbeat Records will not be available on a CD EVER!!!! Each volume features a different set of bands and at the time of releasing, Deadbeat urges each band to donate an unreleased track making the compilation even more eventful. Somewhere just after the second installment and the third, The Viva la Vinyl series began to get noticed not only as a great compilation but as a sampler of what the current US of A punk scene is all about. Personally, I didn’t like EVERYTHING I heard on each installment including this installment too, but the whole thing is that there’s something for just about everyone on here. Besides, I think its a good thing if someone can listen to a Viva la Vinyl and NOT necessarily like everything they hear. This would mean that they are being exposed to something different and new than what they’d NORMALLY listen to... Yeah, I might not really like Bonecrusher’s track on Viva #4 or anything, but at least I heard them and know sorta what their about for future references. I mean FUCK, this past weekend I had an excursion to an outlet mall in Jeffersonville, Ohio. I know, I know…how SQUARE, right? I have a uncanny knack for making the most seemingly safe and square task at hand, and putting a sinister twist on the subject and really turning such a simple thing as going to an outlet mall in middle-Ohio...fun! I made the most of this weekend. Besides ripping the crotch out in my only pair of black pants (I like to lead a simplistic lifestyle) and STILL wearing them all weekend long, I had a rather interesting trip to a regional flea market where I saw three sets of parents threaten to leave, or beat their children into submission in the time span of an hour and a half. I even ended up getting in a car chase with some local yokel whose bangs were cut uneven... The fuck was riding my ass on I-71 Northbound despite me going 80 to pass a train of slow moving vehicles. I flipped him off as he passed me. After an exchange of him frothing at the mouth making punching gestures with his hands while driving, and me just laughing at the ability of me to make someone so damn angry, he urged me to follow him off a random exit for a rumble. At the last minute when he realized that I wasn’t going to follow him I executed a rather impressive move and exited the freeway. I drove around the exit’s mini-city of sorts for a while and made sure he continued Northbound. After several minutes I continued on my journey and when I got to the outlet mall, low and behold (!) there he was. I did observe as he passed me several large bags in his passenger seat so the way I saw it, since I seen the guy coming out of a store he had some sort of business at the same Outlet Mall. The yokel followed me and confronted me and called me names and a coward and tried to get me to fight him, but I just laughed him off and went to The Gap. I ended up moving my car several times in anticipation of him leaving to get reinforcements and coming back with some good ol’ boys to kick my camouflage shirt wearing ass, but everything was OK.... You see, I can make something so square like going to an outlet mall worthwhile!!! Well, while here I found a Music Discount store selling closeout cassettes for 99 cents. I don’t want to give it all away what I purchased because I want to do a Blank Generation radio show featuring tracks from my 99 cent cassettes, but one of the tapes was a metal tape I initially thought I would get for a friend who seemed to be favorable to bad-metal, but after listening to the self-titled release from Tyranny a couple of times I became partial to their Ozzy Osborne meets Rush meets Judas Priest sound. You see, despite not being into Bonecrusher NOW, one day, with thanks to a compilation like Viva la Vinyl, I might. This volume features 15 tracks from the same number of bands with The Cock Spaniels, TV Killers, The Geriatrix (a local Cincinnati band; it was my idea to end their spelling of Geriatrics with an ‘X’), Gee Strings and The Dialtones peaking my interest, but also includes Puffball, The Hellbenders, the aforementioned Bonecrusher, The Valentine Killers, Snake Charmers, Streetwalkin’ Cheetahs, The Vultures, Hellride, Nikki Sudden (of Swell Maps fame) and last but never least; Flash Express. Like
I said, I wasn’t blown over by every band or anything... But at the
same time, I really enjoyed listening to it. I think a lot of times the
punk community as a whole really takes labels like Deadbeat and its Viva
la Vinyl series for granted. In all the reviews I have read of the past
volumes, I have yet to see one thing said to Deadbeat that’s in very
much need of saying.....Thanks. (SAB) V/A "920 Blues" 12" I usually distance myself from compilations. For good reason too, bands are all too content with pitching their throwaway tracks into these types of projects, and the labels releasing the material rarely give a shit about the quality of the tunes, so long as they have the bands’ names affixed to the sleeve. And when someone has the gall to release a compilation that showcases bands from their local scene, I take extra-special care not to waste my time thinking about the fucking thing because a good 75% of the bands featured usually, y’know, suck. "920
Blues" shrugs off the negative comp stigma with relative ease. Every
band contained herein is good (or great even), and they all perfectly
capture the different facets of rock ‘n’ roll with a distinct
personality of their own. Garage, pop, punk, garage, art/noise-rock, ‘50s
stomp and garage are all represented here—and every band (except
for the Reds, who contribute a non-LP track, "Gitlow") is from
Wisconsin! Hell's bells! Look at 'em: Teenage Rejects, Sagger, the Leghounds,
the Mystery Girls, the Mistreaters, the Shutups, the Derks, Yesterday's
Kids, the Strong Come Ons and the aforementioned Reds… Senator Jo-Jo
McCarthy would be fucking proud of this lot! Or maybe he'd vehemently
accuse those commie traitors in the Reds of international espionage! Regardless,
pick this one up and give some money to a good cause. Help the compilations,
people—they need it. (EL) V/A "Troubleman Mix Tape" 2XCD Not only is this thing good, it’s very useful. Let me explain. Though very few people involved will admit it, emo, ’77 punk, and all that "rock and roll and especially that which either hails from Detroit or was recorded at Ghetto Studios is gonna’ be the new grunge" – the scenes really don’t last very long, and many of the cool scenes from the mid to late ‘90’s (punk rock wise) have run their courses. Disagree, agree — don’t care. So I’m going to write this review for those people who have taken their heads out of the sand, and especially those who have more emotional stability than me to not have totally knee jerk reactions against "the scenes" when the boredom lays once happening "scenes" on the alter of cycle – "Till you’re bleeding…And if you wanna’ find hell with me I can show you what it’s like" (Danzig [PS- I love Chuck Biscuits (Totally top shelf)]). So I’m gonna’ write this, and the first thing that you learn in school about writing is to find an audience, so I’m gonna shoot specific, not all that firing in the air drunk like drunks do. Ok, got one — you rock and roll Blank Generation pricks I love and love to hate me – you’re the audience. Strike that line though. My friend Joe Cortez from Napoli in Italy reminded me something that I forgot — the biggest sin a writer or band or whatever can make is looking down on your audience. Lester Bangs said that originally, I believe. Wait a second, I love you all hating me! I forgot I said that. Yeah, I feel better now – attack and crucify me. A few people have, but when they did I was amazed (no names) at how livid they were. Don’t let it build up. That’s bad for body. My contacts are all over this site, so feel free to drop me a line. I’ll hash it out with anyone. If I have a good quality in this department, it’s that I’ll admit when I’m wrong without hesitation – doesn’t mean I give a rat’s rear, but I’ll admit it. So bring it on. "Bring it" (Eric Markusic [said after removing shirt]). It makes me happy that people bother to read at all anymore – we’re probably not destined to be best friends, anyhow. Please, don’t get bummed out. I’m just trying to explain something. Transitional phrase. Ok, here it is about this compilation. I know a lot of really staunch emo kids who have warmed up to tons of punk rock proper. ’77 punk is just so sad, let’s pretend it was never a genre. Within the cycle, that term served a purpose for a minute. So did the term garage-punk. But so did emo. And as for this big rock and roll and blues and stomping comeback? I’m not black, and I was not raised in the ‘60’s – I was raised in the ‘80’s, doi. Take that however the fuck you want to take it. "You’re dropping wolf bait and there’s chicks outside?" (Gary, Weird Science). My Dad gave me a comp with THE STANDELLS and THE BALOON FARM and SEEDS and shit when I was 10. He bought it for me from K-Mart. I still listen to it. I don’t remember it being (when I was 10 or 2 weeks ago when I listened to it last) soulful or funky or anything – just psyched up and alarming and disconcerting. But maybe I just want my soul to be left alone? Probably my favorite comp ever, though. The sound of my soul is better expressed in BLACK FLAG’S "Nervous Breakdown" then in "Leave My Wife Alone." But whatever – it’s point time. I know tons of people who still like good music. I won’t say names this paragraph either, but people you may even know from this site have expressed an interest in the "Gravity Records Scene", emo, CAUSEY WAY to LIGHTNING BOLT, and all the great music punk rockers missed when they began refusing to listen to T&G and Sub Pop and all the great "alternative" labels. There’re a lot of cool independent, artistic labels now too, that are not very old, but really strong; all those labels Mordam prostitutes, for example (sorry, needed a quick dig). Frankly, I like good music. I like challenging music. I like fucked up, weird music. It’s out there. I know you rock types looked up from your RADIO BIRDMAN records once or twice towards a band or two from the "black list." You were, and are now curious, I know. Many heads were "really" erect while we all drank ourselves into TEENGENERATE oblivion though, and this compilation features a fucking ton of them. With a 2 disk comp you can expect some filler, but this has more "personal preference filler" (i.e.- it’s not crappy live versions of bands doing covers or anything like that). You’ll hate this or you’ll love a surprising amount of it. Even if you get turned on to 1 new band, what the fuck? What else do you have to do? How can the chase be better than the catch if you’re too fucked to even put on your Adidas? Good luck with trying not to be such unimaginative asses. Compile your favorite tracks. That would be really cool. Here
are the bands, so many of them top shelf: Von Zippers/Les Secrétaires Volantes "Dead End Canada" 7" Great
split single with two Canadian garage greats dueling off against each
other. The Von Zippers open things up here with the title track, a good
& cleaver reworking of the Pagans "Dead End America," and
finish things off great with "Screwdriver High," which is as
good a song as I’ve ever heard these Calgarians perform. However,
Les Secrétaires Volantes, perhaps the best band that never really became
known outside of Quebec in recent years, steal the show here on the flipside
with the killer, slow rolling & rocking English tune "Don’t
Do It" and a female vocaled, speedy, stop-start-rhythm garage punker
en Français called "Je Donne Mon Corps à La Science." All split
singles should be this cool. (SA) Yes-Men "Prosody" LP Fuck
this shit! Stone Temple Pilots motherfuckers! Mix that with some of the
shitter Norwegian hard rock that’s comin’ outta Scandinavia
and you’ve got a recipe for disaster (in a bad way)! Cock Rock with
out the rock……umm…I’m gotta get some gauze…I
think those pencils I crammed in my ears are making them bleed…with
disgust… (JD) | ||
Dobule
zero psychedelica coming right at you with lightning speed.... The Cuts
LP, FINALLY! When I first heard their debut 7" on Lookout Records
a while back it really sparked an interest for this band in the ol’
noggin of mine. They seemed to have a sound that fit nicely into my burgeoning
Neoteric Punk/Wave movement.... I could just see, in my head, their live
set with a crowd of about 80% being bored out of their skull because they
weren’t seeing The White Stripes and about the other 20% really getting
off on what they heard. That’s the way it is… Playing music
in a band isn’t about making EVERYONE happy, it’s about striking
those few, the elite; getting the worthwhile off, and really just fucking
with the rest. Fuck the rest.
"Hello
from Cleveland, its me again...."
Three
great, self-destructive songs from Ryan "Elvis" Wong-Reatard-Lost
Sounds-Rousseau. Looks like he made this record all by his-self, perhaps
after running out of painkillers and ramming a cactus into his face…
Everything sounds like it’s breaking apart and getting smashed back
together. Listen to the keyboard intros get devoured by frantic screams,
guitars and drums on the title-track and "I Want You Dead" to
see what I’m talking about. Need an easier reference? It’s sorta
like the Piranhas and Screamers, but faster and shorter. There, I’m
glad I left this single in my buddies’ van about a year ago (July
2, 2000 to be exact) after Destruction Unit’s awesome
set in Tempe. Else, I wouldn’t have sounded as cool as I did in that
last sentence being that I hadn’t heard those bands yet. Thanks to
Mr. Steven Green of ARIZONA_PUNKLIST@yahoogroups.com fame, however, I
remembered to pick this up again. I’m obsessed with being cool and
dropping names, err…I mean, being humble and crediting my sources.
Now, go send Ryan some money so you can lose your cool and get smashed
to his killer record! (SH)
So
what you have here is a three-piece Swedish punk band churning out three
songs of blistering fast and snotty punk-rock with a nod to Killed By
Death greats like The Nervous Eaters.
At
first I wasn’t sure what to think of this. They’ve got an awesome
keyboard sound and a quirky female singer that sort of reminds me of the
girl from the Rezillos, but the songs didn’t strike me as terribly
catchy at first. After listing to this a couple times it really began
to grow on me and I’ve come to like it quite a bit. "Molded
Plastic" is a particularly rad song that drops the standard guitar
solo in favor of a keyboard going off like a dentist’s drill. If
they could learn to just write a little more memorable choruses they could
be really, really good. I’d recommend at least checking this out.
(SS)
Hola,
clase! Me llamo es Pete McChode. Yo es un estudent a la clase de Senor
Sector Hector. El smello como pescado mala, pero el gusto mucho The Flaming
Sideburns. Yo me gusto Flaming Sideburns tambien. Ellos jugar muy bueno,
como se dice, "fun, 60s influenced rock and roll with solid playing?"
Ellos cantar en espanol todos tambien. Las cancions "Do the Bama
Lama" y "Sweet Christine" son crazy rock and roll como
? & The Mysterians, y muchos bands de los 60s. Tambien, mia cancion
favorite es "La Maldicion del Gringo" que es para mi. El, como
se dice "singer?", el hablar como Andre Williams en espanol,
y la musica es, como se dice "loungey, with a nice viola melody to
counterpoint the funny, drunken babbling of the singer and a cool transition
into bullring music accented by hilarious, ridiculous, ole’s?"
Hmm. Con permiso. Senor Hector dice que, "the singer reminds me of
the old drunks I had to listen to at the El Regis bar." Yo no se.
Pero, yo thinko que este es un mucho bueno releaso. Can I sit down now?
(SH)
References
to a ‘death-drug’ and paranoid delusions that someone or mayhap
a group of someone’s from New York City are after them, Le Shok attack
on 6"s of vinyl.
First
things first, everything you've heard is true. These guys (and gal) come
as close to '50s party rock/'60s garage as you can get without sounding
downright cheesy; and they consistently churn out good material. Comparisons
to Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Sonics and other stone age purveyors
of the garage rock sound are warranted; claims of "the perfect party
band" are probably equally justified. 
I
expected better from this band, and that’s exactly what I got. Immediately
tops the Pattern’s previous singles because it provides a glimpse
of what they can do when they have more than two or three songs at their
disposal—they can hold their own. They can throw down. They can drill
in mod stylings with a tinge of indie-rock damage and still sound a bit
dangerous. In any ‘60s-influenced band, there’s a fine line
between an overdone, trite-and-sassy hip-shake routine and a refined,
conscious snarl; all signs here thankfully point to the latter. And even
though some of these tunes appear on earlier singles, they sound much,
much better when reunited with their brethren on a six-song CD. Fans of
modern day beat-rock better take note, ‘cause the Pattern will only
get better. (EL)
Kindles
Mortals
"Cute!
Wild! Sexy! Boy & Girl Crazy!! Exciting!!"
The
Registrators. Pre-Sixteen Wires From The New Provocate. On the
Sixteen Wires From The New Provocate album The Registrators just
swam too far out into the sea. They’re out swimming with the sharks,
The Shark. I’m not going out there!
I’d
like to take this opportunity to tell the reader how I feel about the
Strokes. The Strokes did take the shortcuts. They have become an overnight
success. The reader might ask how? Well, it’s not any of my business
to draw inconclusive conclusions on that subject, but I must ask the reader
if he or she knows how hard it is to be successful in the music industry?
And do it on your own terms? Actually, it’s like throwing a pebble
into a tornado and hoping that same pebble will come out on the other
side.
Every
once and awhile a record comes along that’s so right on, so perfect
in every way, you find yourself falling head over heels in love faster
than a nerdy 14-year-old who has never been kissed (not that *I’d*
know anything about that or anything!). This record has done it to me.
Now everybody knows that Japanese punk is usually a cut above the rest,
but nothing could have prepared me for how great this is. It’s pretty
safe to say that this belongs right up there with the best of Teengenerate
and the Registrators. Seriously. Think of this as the missing link between
"Terminal Boredom" and "16 Wires’ and you’re
almost there. If you thought that "16 Wires" would have been
much better with out all of the "arty" stuff (which I for the
record I don’t) this is the record for you. These guys mix
awesome trashed out punk rock with absolutely stunning power pop. While
the speedy songs are top notch, the pop songs are what make this really
stand out. I can’t remember the last time I heard anything as wonderful
as "Look at You" and "You Can’t Let Me Down."
I must have listened to this a zillion times over the past two months
and it never fails to put a smile on my face. By far the best thing I’ve
heard in years! (SS)