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Record Reviews
- September, 2000 BellRays "Good Thing" 7" I’ve
wanted to get a listen to this band ever since Hit List raved about ‘em
almost a year ago. So do they live up to my expectations? The answer is
undetermined. While the BellRays deliver a health dose of hard punk ‘n’
roll mixed with a lot of soul; the two songs on this 45 are not enough
to determine a clear judgement. I don’t think they are a "singles"
band. The BellRays have a distinct sound that could be compared to a small-time
MC5. Unfortunately, I will simply have to hear the full-length to capture
the broad scope of what they can do. (JD) Chronics "Fire Up!" 7" The
Chronics have a pretty straightforward approach when it comes to their
music. They keep it real simple with a heavy 60’s rock ‘n’
roll influence. Not as upbeat as most rock acts, the Chronics like to
groove to the rhythm. If you are really into retro rock ‘n’
roll, you wouldn’t be at Blank Generation if you weren’t, you
will be buying this. There’re 3 songs including, "Ain’t
That Too Bad" and "(Sorry) Y.C.M.S." (JD) Controllers CD/LP Man
is Dionysus cutting a wide swath as of late. Didn’t even really notice
until I started typing up all these reviews. The Controllers…I guess
the "never beheard" shit shoulda’ stayed in the can. Fuck,
and I’ve been waiting a coon’s age for this to come out. Be
that as it may, it’s surely nice to have all the goodies in one convenient
spot. Top-shelf late 70s CA punk. "Slow Boy" is a truly classic
(as opposed to all the falsely- strewn epithets) moron-punk min &
a half, and there are about five others in close quarters to that ‘un.
(TK) Controllers "S/T" CD/LP Yet
another Bacchus Archives record. The Controllers were a punk band out
of Southern California around the year 1977. They’re your basic garbage
can punk rockers that had a few hits in their day like, "Do the Uganda",
"Another Day", and "Top Secret." The Controllers can
rock out with simple guitar chords linked with unrefined energy. This
record is a compilation of various the singles they put out. The Controllers
aren’t too bad if you are into all that Bloodstains shit, but I can
think of better things to spend my money on. (JD) Feedbacks "Pop Invaders" 7" The
Feedbacks produce pop songs that are so sweet they could cause a pandemic.
This power pop group can really get your body moving! If you are into
upbeat tunes with some kick you’ll love "Girl of the Year"
and "I Wonder." Good, good stuff. (JD) Festermen "Full Treatment" CD When
I looked at this album cover with three motorcyclers flying out of a fire
I knew these boys liked Zeke. As it turns out the like Mr. Jon Spencer
and the Oblivions too. The F-Men are sort of a combination of those three
bands coupled with crazy guitar sounds and a mean attitude. I have to
say I really like this record, in a repetitive, bang your head, and drink
your whisky sort of way. There’re 12 tracks including, "Toelake
Snakeman", "Satan Found Out", and "You Lit My Way."
(JD) Firestarter "S/T" 7" EP Firestarter.
This band from Japan features Fink, Fifi, and Sammy of Teengenerate, a
group that I truly adore. So what are these rock ‘n’ rollers
up to now that they have a new band? Well, I believe they are really trying
to expand their musical horizons. Firestarter venture into the 70's mod/power
pop terrain. If you are familiar with Fink and Fifi’s other bands,
Firestarter falls right in between the Tweezers and the Raydios. It’ll
take a little time to adjust to their new sound, so if you are shocked
when you first hear the record give it some time. It took me about a week
to fall in love with these guys. There’re 4 songs on the 7"
including such hits as "The Majors are Lesser" and "Street
Boys." Unfortunately this record is now out of print, but don’t
fret; they’ll have a full-length out by the end of the year. (JD) First Alert "Trade the life" 7" This
is the newest First Alert record that I know of. They have completely
changed over to a mod band. This 45 features two beautifully crafted pop
gems. And they are real pop, I would only suggest this record to someone
who a fan of elaborate music like that British mod band The Aces. The
best song on the 45 is "Trade the life." (JD) First Alert "Thrills and Spills of 48 Hours" CD/LP
Fortune and Maltese and the Phabulous Pallbearers "Sonic Sounds from Seattle" 7" I
picked this up cuz the band had shown exquisite taste in covering one
of the all-time great 60s frat hymns – "Jump, Jive and Harmonize."
What I got was four fairly trad tunes in the 60s beat/garage mold. They
ain’t the Swingin’ Neckbreakers (hell, the Swingin’ Neckbreakers
ain’t even the Swingin’ Neckbreakers anymore), but this’ll
just have to do fer the mop-top set. Not bad, not too exciting. Lead organ
alert. (TK) Gasolheads "Fuel Stereo Shit!!" 2X7" Yeah!
Don’t be fooled by they’re sterile name. The Gasolheads can
relay the rock-action full force baby! The best band to compare them to
would be the Safety Pins. They are in that same vein except the G-heads
have more hooks. These French boys aren’t for the faint hearted and
give it their all with 8 songs including, "I Hate You (Yeah Yeah)"
and "From ‘95 to ‘99." (JD) Gimmies "Till You’re Down" 7" If
Mark Murrmann raves about a record it’s worth looking for; and boy
was he right! The Gimmies are rock action personified, combining the hip
shakin’ American punk ‘n’ roll sounds of The Humpers with
the crazy Japanese barrage of The Jetboys! Sora, Kawabe, J-J, and Kim
thump through two rockin’ tunes filled with heavy guitars are a whole
lotta solos. The Gimmies are an addiction in the making and all I can
say is, "Just hook it to my veins!!!" (JD) Glucifer "Tender is the Savage" LP/CD Pretty
good Scandihoovian big rock raunch. This stuff just don’t move me
like it used to, and some unfortunate parts of this veer a bit too close
to Manowar for comfort (fuck the ex-Dictator factor, and motherfuck their
modern p-rock fans -- that band was ass-and-a-half – blow MY speakers),
but it’s certainly able and rockin’. A bit slicker than earlier
efforts, but at least they’ve aged better than their pals the Hellacopters.
My record came with a bonus single. Not sure about yers. (TK) Hard Feelings "Fought Back and Lost" LP/CD Ex-Revelators
mining a similar field, but expelling a mite less energy and recklessness.
The songs are still pretty hot, but I think I enjoyed the 2-track live
recordings a bit more than the unslick-but-still-smurfier Mariconda production.
Good bassless Crypt hunch. Recommended, but… does this year suck
or what? (TK) Hard-Ons "You Disappointed Me" 7" Yeeeuck!
This record is soooo boring! Ugh, dreary pop! I’m getting sleepy
j uuu st listening tooo it, zzzzzzzzzzzzz… (JD) Hopeless Dregs of Humanity "Buildin’ Da Muthaphuckin’ Revolution!" 7"
Kaos "Alcoholiday" 7" Cool
reissue of the 1980 Killed by Death classic. The title song is, as expected,
the clear winner here, but the other two are first-class rippers in the
Controllers vein (not surprising if yer aware of the band’s history).
A smart $4. (TK) Lipstick Killers "Angel & Snakes" CD The
kabuki rock ‘n’ rollers! Ha! These Lipstick Killers hail from
the land of the rising sun and are all dolled up for the bar. Talk about
idolizing Johnny Thunders! The ‘Killers have that slow-hand rock
‘n’ roll down with traditional guitar licks and a "So Alone"
attitude. Any fan of JT’s records from around 1978 will be dancin’
with these boys. There are 13 tracks including, "Here She Comes"
and "Snakebite." (JD) Maggots "Gonna Make You Pay" 7" What’s
this!? A European version of the Makers!? Kick ass! The Maggots are a
"Back to the Grave" sounding garage band if I’ve ever heard
one. They’ve got that certain dirty little mind that only are garage
rocker could have. Songs like, "I Wanna Be Your Maggot" and
"Uh! Uh! – The Bigger, The Better" are proof that these
lustful monsters want to violate you in your private places! Fuckin’
cool shit! (JD) Murder City Devils "In Name And Blood" CD/LP Funny
that three of the best bands around today (The Deadly Snakes, Les Sexareenos
and The Murder City Devils) are the only bands I can think of that still
bother to incorporate the "electric organ" into their rhythm
section. The Murder City Devils are also easily one of the most original
bands around today and probably the band that relies the most on their
organ to achieve their trippy, sludged out rock n’ roll sound. Their
third fucker, "In Name And Blood", seems to be a mixture of
their first two LP’s. The debut self-titled had a lot of great rocked
out up tempo punkers and "Broken Bottles, Empty Hearts" focused
more exclusively on their slow rolling "Funhouse"-era Stooges
heavy organ stuff. "In Name And Blood" picks up on the dark,
heavy organ stuff on "Broken Bottles…" but combines it
with the furious punk n’ roll of their self-titled. It makes for
easily one of the best records I’ve heard in a rather piss-poor musical
year. Although I prefer the attitude and spontaneity that made their first
record a near classic, don't pass this up. (SA) New Bomb Turks "Nightmare Scenario" CD/LP Quite
possibly their best album in 6 years. The New Bomb Turks haven’t
quite recaptured the spark they had with the amazing "Destroy Oh
Boy!" and "Information Highway Revisited" LP’s on
Crypt, yet (and unfortunately, they probably never will), but compared
to the stuff they’ve released since then, this album is top notch.
The production on this couldn’t be better; the trashiest and rawest
they’ve had it on any of their full length records and it sounds
reminiscent of some of their earlier singles (like the ones compiled on
"Pissin’ out the Poison"). And the song quality is by far
their best non-single material they’ve released on record since they
signed with Epitaph. There are a couple of dud songs on this, but nothing
compared to the ratio they had on the awful "Scared Straight"
(or even "At Rope’s End", for that matter) and with scorching
tunage like "Point A to Point Blank" and "Continental Cats",
this is a good pickup. (SA) Rational Solution "Big Brother" 7" It’s
like opening a birthday present! RS are a brutal crust punk band with
dual vocals like Aus-Rotten. I’ve always liked what crusties do with
their records because they always go out of their way to pack as much
news as they can into a 7" sleeve. This particular record contains
important info about Mumia Abu-Jamal and other political prisoners and
animal cruelty. The 6 record is an eye opener, so be on the lookout! (JD) Static "Stab At The Night" 7" Hard
hitting punk and rock! These dudes have a bit of a hard-core edge to ‘em.
If you are into the rough stuff you should take a listen to the Static.
I'm sorry to say this isn’t what I was expecting from Rock ‘N’
Roll Blitzkrieg, Icki’s new label, but it certainly isn’t a
dour record. For myself though, it is going in the bagel bin. (JD) Swingin’ Neckbreakers "The Return of Rock" While
these six-oh masters still slay live, nothing they’ve done on record
has ever really lived up to "Live For Buzz." This album doesn’t
do anything to alter this fact, but some songs with bite and hook include
"Stop, Drop, Wiggle," "Hail to the Baron" and "Definition
of Love." (TK) Tweezers "Favourite" 7"
V/A "ad vice" CD I
make it a habit to hunt down any Mangrove comp I hear of. The "ad
vice" comp was particularly high on my list because it has Firestarter
on it. Ok, so I’m a little obsessed, so sue me! There are four other
bands on this CD including the Intimate Fags, Radio Shanghai, Zymotics,
and Privateways, and each group has three songs. Mangrove has certain
standards when it comes to releasing music, only the highest quality gets
in. All of these bands are great, but the standouts are Firestarter (punk/power
pop), Radio Shanghai (a Rezillos type space punk/new wave band), and the
Privateways (total Small Faces inspired mod/pop with a hint of the Pixies).
(JD) V/A "Be a Caveman" CD I
could go on forever about this – the 80s garage revolution was weak,
watery and cartoonish. Why? Over-reverence to pointless stylistic concerns,
a "goofball" stance and adherence to irrelevant fashion bullshit.
90s bands like the Oblivians, Dirtys and Makers were better because they
upped the ante and fucked with convention. That said, this pretty much
IS the cream of the crop (no Panther Burns? No Billy Childish? Nope, but
most of the rest are here). The legendary Hypstrz rip through a cover
(of course), the Dwarves clank around in pre-Bloodguts fuzz territory,
form-masters the Chesterfield Kings, the Tell Tale Hearts and the Cynics
showcase some of their top material…DMZ, the Vipers, the Pandoras.
Really good, but not to the level of, say, one of the modern-band Crypt
comps. (TK) V/A "Rockin’ Jelly Bean’s Jumpin’ Jukebox!" CD/LP Part
whatever in the cool Japanese compilation series. I’m absolutely
burned out on 60s-derived instrumentals, and I never really took to the
lounge deal, so parts of this are skip city for me. You might like ‘em
the best. That’s yer prerogative. Piss off. Anyway, old faves like
the Jet Boys, the absolutely fabulous Tweezers and Guitar Wolf seem to
deliver the most bang in my book. (TK) Vice Principals "After School With…" CD/LP Hey
Apocalypse Girls! Scott "Deluxe" Drake and Billy Burks of the
Humpers, Suicide Kings, etc… have a new band! The Vice Principals
are a punk ‘n’ roll group that has a odd joining of total punk
rawk and nasty rock ‘n’ roll tunes. If you are a huge Humpers
fan I suggest taking a listening to these boys, but if you are a casual
r'n'r listener you should look elsewhere. There’re 12 tracks including,
"When Girls Collide", "Splitsville USA", and "After
Detention." (JD) Wontons "Let’s Wok!" 7"
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©
blankgeneration.com 2003 |
I
first heard these boys on the Mangrove comp "Chloroform." They
really impressed me with short blasts of punk rock that literally sounded
like they were ripped out of the 70’s and thrown on my stereo. Unfortunately
I could never locate much of their other records, until now. On First
Alert’s first album they give you a splendid mix of mod and punk.
All of their songs are brilliantly catchy and contain dazzling melodies;
it can be a bit overwhelming. There is a definite influence of British
Mod bands like The Killermeters and The Odds on this record. There’re
11 tracks including old favorites like, "Sweet Radio" and new
ones like, "We Lose" and "Nobody Catches My Call."
(JD)
From
the looks of this record one might think the band is a hardcore crust
crew. Not so I say! HDH is a very catchy, bouncy, almost pop punk group
that is very disturbed with this world. Much props for the aesthetic packaging
for the 7", which includes sort of a zine with comics/art, information
about "the revolution", and more interesting stuff. As for the
record, there are 4 songs on it including "We’re Dead"
and "Give Me My Orders." This is a worthy purchase for someone
who desires to be more informed. (JD)
This
record was released two years ago and didn’t come to my attention
until Icki mentioned scoring a copy from Tomoko in one of his columns
in MRR. I don’t think he gave it as much praise as I am going to
give it now. Rob a bank if you have to, just get this 45! This is the
stuff rock ‘n’ roll dreams are made of. On this 7" the
Tweezers aren’t as clean sounding like on their album. The guitars
are fuzzier and the first two songs, "Favourite" and "Subway
Killer" are basically ‘79 pop punk; much like the Scientists’
first 7" "Frantic Romantic." The last song, "She Got
Rock ‘N’ Roll", is a standing ovation to Little Richard
with maniac pianos roaring throughout the song. I urge either Target Earth
to repress it or another record label to re-release it so everybody can
hear this little treasure. (JD)
Texas
is starting to become the Mecca of new and interesting punk/garage bands
lately. The Wontons are indubitably in that category, what with their
super garage punk sound. If you combined the Double Nuthins with the Jewws
you will get the Wontons. I don’t know about you guys but it’s
a formula that works for me. I would like to hear more of these cats cause
there isn’t a faulty ditty on this chunk of vinyl so go get it! (JD)