Top Sounds - C
CAN'T DECIDE - s/t {Boss Tuneage} This 4-piece formed outta the ashes of HERESY and RIPCORD back in 1989. Rather than duplicate the intense HC of those bands, CAN'T DECIDE slowed things down a tad, added a bit of melody and released a few good records, all of which are compiled on this 27-track disc. I have 1990's 'S/T' disc on vinyl. I remember the band at the time not really blowing me away, it all sounded a little too similar - and not as effective - as the mighty INSTIGATORS. 16 years on, and maybe I misjudged the band. There's still a massive nod to the INSTIGATORS, but with a few added GOVERNMENT ISSUE influences and even a hint of RITES OF SPRING. A couple of the better tracks - 'Out Of It' and 'Jump Before You're Pushed' - are from 91's '57911' disc, while the cover of the KRAUT classic 'All Twisted' is blazing, which all suggests I missed out on some of this band's better stuff. Besides all the pre-released stuff, you also get an 11-track demo making this a comprehensive and impressive release.
CAPTAIN EVERYTHING! - Buena Vista Bingo Club {Household Name} Hats off to these guys! This trio just keeps playing its stuff and obviously revel in doing so. I don’t personally get off on their mildly vacuous GREEN DAY/ VANILLA POD/ LAGWAGON Pop-core mix, but this, the band’s third long player, is easily the best of the bunch. There seems to be a greater weight about these songs with some pretty thrashy gear thrown into the usual Pop-Punk mix and it’s all driven by some totally powerhouse drumming. Highlights for me were the snappy ‘A Bigger Boat’ and the catchy-as-crabs ‘Ode To Noia’. It’s clear the band has a lot of fun and they do at least rock and keep it snappy (‘Why Don’t You?’ is less than 20 seconds!); I just wish there was more substance behind the lyrics and a snottier delivery.
CHINATOWN - s/t {Sonic Swirl} Ohhh baby!!! Rock and roll!!!! This is actually an enjoyable little romp through the world of glamified, ruffle- haired rock ‘n’ roll. Snag is, it’s just TOO Guns ‘n’ Roses and not enough NEW YORK DOLLS; TOO Kiss (minus make-up) and not enough FACES; TOO LA Guns and not enough HANOI ROCKS; just TOO flag-waving, cock out rock ‘n’ roll and not enough spit-in-your-eye, fuck you Rock ‘n’ Roll. Make sense? If not, maybe the fact the band shunned several independent labels due to Atlantic Recs showing some kinda interest in them. Wannabe cock-rock stars - albeit more enjoyable than most. If the band do make it to a major, I hope Sonic Swirl screw the fuckers for every single dime they can get from this piece of enjoyable rock ‘n’ roll crapola.
CIRCUS ACT - No History, No Consequences {Milliepeed} I guess it must be the water, but here's another decent South Coast, UK band. The tracks here are similar to those on the recent 'Dirty Half-Dozen' comp, but a bit more aggressive to these ears. The band takes stop-start rhythms, post-HC screaming and abrasive guitars - kinda like latter day Rev bands but played via the sound of 'Revolution Summer' Dischord era. It didn't hold my attention as well as I had hoped, but parts of it - 'A World Outside Our Lives' especially - did hold my interest.
CITIZEN FISH/ LEFTOVER CRACK - Deadline {Fat Wreck/ Alternative Tentacles} The acceptable face of Ska-Punk! These bands really compliment each other as both are finey tuned into Anarcho Politics and raw Punk Rock. The UK’s indomitable CITIZEN FISH is up first with an archetypal CF classic, ‘Working On The Inside’ which is up there with CULTURE SHOCK even. Highlight of the seven CF tracks is the RUTS-style groove of ‘Back To Square One’. LEFTOVER CRACK don’t seem so musically aggressive as before - ‘World War 4’ and ‘Genocidal Tendencies’ both display melodic structures. Lyrically it’s the band’s usual scathing indictment of life today. Jello Biafra and MDC’s Dave Dictor guest on a few tracks also. Each band covers the other plus one of the other’s former bands with CF coming out on top with a killer take on CHOKING VICTIMS ‘Money’. Great value split disc: both bands are tried and tested winners, both share political and musical allegiances and both would put the fear of God into a typical apathetic Ska-Punk fan - essential for that alone!
COLD BY WINTER - We: The Living {1157} It took a few plays to grasp this. On initial listen, all I heard was Emo/Metal wank. Six spins in though, it hit - like a claw hammer to the temple. This is the debut disc from this Auckland 5-piece. You get 11 tracks of complex yet crushing post-HC that combines the pulsating rhythms of HOT WATER MUSIC, the embittered petulance of SHAI HULUD and the caustic abrasion of JUDAS FACTOR. The vocalist - if it is only one guy - has a shocker of a voice, equally at home with guttural growls, indignant Punk screaming and reflective singing. For some reason, the first 4 tracks don't convince - they seem a little disjointed - but from there on in, it's a huge, well-produced slab of noise with 'To Take A Life' being the highlight. This would fit really well on Revelation Records - it certainly knocks the shit outta the likes of SINCE BY MAN, THE PLOT… et al while capturing the finer points of those bands listed.
COVEN AND CRAZY D - Gangsters And Busters {Eugene} I'm sure this is tongue-in-cheek sarcasm, but really, what's the point? It's so easy for any old shit to get released today and this is proof. It's odd too cuz I rate most of the stuff this label releases. The deal here is a couple of dickweeds doing misogynistic Rap with the finesse of George Bush's diplomatic abilities. Tracks like 'Bitches, Sluts, Hoes And Tricks' and 'Pretty Face, Nasty Nugs' typify this say-nothing, pre-pubescent boy 'humour'. It makes Dee Dee's rap career look like the work of a genius. As enjoyable as chewing dried shit of a decomposing gorilla's butt.
THE CRITICS - Pull Your Head In {Out Of The Loop
/ Rabbit Recs) - Another fantastic release from these Australians. The lead track embraces a greater HOT WATER MUSIC feel than many of the tracks on the release above, with convoluted guitar lines trading off a staccato beat. The final track is a cover of the SUNNYBOYS track, 'Tunnel Of My Love' and is a little more relaxed, although as the track builds those vocals of Andy really shine and you can sense the band is snapping at the bit, ready for the song to explode. I can't say enough positive stuff about these guys from Down Under. Check them out.THE CRITICS - No Salvation {
Rabbit Recs} Man, this is such a special band. Not many bands make me wanna jump around the room, singing at the top of my voice while throwing punches to accentuate the music - but, indisputably, THE CRITICS do. The band sounds so exciting and alive and vibrant and all so effortlessly! This, the latest 7-track mini-album, features the band’s best material to date - considering the previous release, ‘The Incentive…’ was in my Top Five records of last year, that’s no mean feat. Kicking off with the turbo-charged, anthemic adrenalin-surge of ‘The Sound’ it also features ‘Pull Your Head In’ from the 7" above, the sinewy, sublime guitar frenzy of ‘Obselete’, ‘Bullet Made Of Phrases’ - a dynamic epic of subtle/raging guitars, breakdowns and stunning structures that implodes in a little over two minutes and disc highlight ‘Take Back What Is Ours’, an exaltation of reclamation that left me breathless. THE CRITICS do it all without relying on a blitzkrieg of speed, unnecessary distortion or Epi-Punk fads. This, put simply, is ANTI-FLAG-esque Punk mixed with the musical muscle of HOT WATER MUSIC and capped with a phenomenal vocalist. "Is the band as good as your hype?" you may ask. A dumb question fucko - they’re better!
THE CRUMBS - Hold That Shit Right! {Recess} I'm tired of writing it, but with a band as underrated as THE CRUMBS, it's kinda necessary. This is just about the best bar-room Punk Rock 'n' Roll band on the planet. Taking its licks in equal parts from The Holy Trinity of R (RADIO BIRDMAN, RAMONES and REPLACEMENTS), THE CRUMBS rock and do it so fucking well. This 18-track comp features the Florida band's first 7" (Alien Girl) and the boss 10" 'Get All Tangled Up'. What's the real clincher here are the six unreleased tracks that span the divide between the band's first two albums that were originally released on Lookout! The band will never win any originality awards - and thank fuck for that cuz this is plain, simple and incisive rock 'n' roll that THE QUEERS can but aspire to. As the final track states: 'You Make Me Rock 'n' Roll'.