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| SNOTTYNESS... Punk Rock Classic - World Contender - Worth A Listen - Average - Plastic - No Future |
| SWELLBELLYS/ DISHONOUR SQUAD 45 (ppr008) 2004 A Scottish/Italian split EP here, which on paper should produce something incendiary. The Swellbelly’s from Dalkeith, Scotland are one band that seem to appear on every DIY record label with a vacant slot, these days. They continue in their mission to give us a full frontal Exploited lobotomy. Their 2 track offering comes without Wattie’s nihilism, but creates enough of that mid 80’s thrashy vibe, via Needs tattooed tones. They are propelled out the traps with a scary kind of vigour, but can soon get predictable. These geezers are as ugly as sin with enough flab to let you know they’ve been round the block a few times. So full marks for carrying out a grotesque punk execution, but I’m afraid that’s all they got to offer with their one dimensional guitar riffs and high speed delivery. The lyrics are just as basic, but to the point! ‘No More Poor’ they scream, yeah we wish! Followed by ‘Fraud’ which is a bang on attack on UK Dole squad!!! Still pretty AVERAGE! On the flipside there ain’t many bands that can really compete with the Swellbelly’s in a head to head collision like this. And the ear assault from a younger, less grotesque Dishonour Squad from Sulmona in Italy, does have a go! They give us a weedier, scrawnier take on the Swellbelly’s fast as fuck assault. They sing in English but it would probably sound better in Italian, and give us exactly what you’d expect from this unimaginative thrash core. Singer Fabrizio seems to be permanently entrapped in his Jack Russell lair, while the drummer Ivan pounds his kit to a pulp in the background. ‘Destruction’ is a rapid lambaste against techno with some healthy sentiments, but fails to ignite and merely creates an irritating racket. It's followed by their token riot song ‘Riot United’. Gawd how many more years must we endure punk bands doing songs about riots??? Comes with a colour foldout lyric sleeve, complete with unsightly Swellbelly band shots. AVERAGE! www.purepunk.it |
| CROPKNOX 45 (ppr007) 2004 The Cropknox are a testosterone fuelled spiky punk rock outfit from San Francisco, and continue in their quest to rip out 21st century battle cries and bag themselves another rather good 45. Heavy duty drums signal the introduction to the opening track ‘Do What’, which is by far the best track of the 3 on show. These punks work so much better on the single format than an albums worth. They got a fuller sound now, with some impressive guitar work from Dave ‘n’ Nathan, giving this platter enough beef to create a fuss amongst the young studs. ‘Fear Of Life’, shows a nod to the Defiance (who also get a name check on the cover) school of big guitars, sweaty creepers and gang anthems. Cropknox are starting to display a more mature rock ‘n’ roll sound that’s slowly creeping into their youthful attack, and it works well alongside the obvious power. To get the full effect listen to this with your headphones on full blast as side one closes with a neat ‘’SOS’’ feedback signal. B-side ‘Sleeping Sound’ boasts some metallic lead guitar breaks as the rhythm tracks soars along. Nothing to write home about lyrically, as they give us standard spiky lines about disenchantment with the American dream and the usual shit these young bands endure. But if they think they got problems they ought to try living on the Low Hill estate! The Cropknox are a band who goes for an aural approach, rather than the perceptive route which works in small 45 doses. This is summed up completely by a very large Smith & Wesson magnum on the back cover. Not as impressive as their debut 45, but leaves a lot of their comptemporaries in this genre way behind. Comes with a lyric sheet and information insert. WORTH A LISTEN www.purepunk.it |
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| THE BRIEFS ‘Sex Objects’ CD (BYO Records) July 2004 At long last Nihilism On the Prowl gets to hear the latest quirky and ultimately brief (31 minutes) punk rock offering from without doubt the best band in the American punk scene today! ‘Sex Objects’ is yet another hilarious and often cynical look at the American life style, and is created with infectious class. Who’d have thought it possible in the age when everything in punk has practically been done, signed, sealed and delivered? It’s time to get excited again! These cheeky fuckers from Seattle come up with the goods time and time again, both in well crafted tunes, subtle arrangements and a devastating approach. The Briefs are 21st century kings of the 2 min. 30 sec, punk anthem. And the most vital band around in every scene or sense of the word. They can do it both in their energetic live performances and in the studio confines, which this set proves. This album contains 14 tracks of paranoia, treason, perversion and anti social themes to blast out at the ignorant straight world. ‘Sex Objects’ their latest full length, makes you think how much longer have these wired up guttersnipes gotta wait till they’re in the national charts rubbing shoulders with the likes of the comfortable Offspring or the way less talented White Stripes, Hives etc. They deserve your attention and fast!!! Their short, sharp infectious shocks hit home every time. If you want cocky, entertaining punk rock with tunes and a compulsive bravado, then get this album! These punk rockers have all the susssss, and know how to figure it all out visually and aurally for themselves. Clever kids with a sense of humour is one of our greatest assets. Check out the rowdy opening track of ‘Orange Alert’ for example. Or the popular ‘Destroy The USA’, which sums up everything you always knew about the land of the free, but was too fuckin lazy to notice. All the tracks on show are in a class all by themselves, as they so effortlessly put it in ‘So Stupid’. They have the triple vocal talents of Steve E. Nix (guitar), Daniel Travanti (guitar), and of course drummer Chris Brief! Which work brilliantly together giving the songs and the sound that sneering touch most punk bands can only dream of. The Briefs maybe seen as a quirky joke in some idiotic circles. And maybe their wraparound shades and peroxide barnets do give them a sort of Toy Dolls veneer. But with so much talent in their ranks and a legion of anthems in their arsenal, you gotta take notice sooner or later. Probably the hottest punk property since Rancid or Green Day, and thats no bullshit! Clever attacks wrapped up in spiky anthems ain’t easily deployed, but these boys know their stuff bringing together all the best quality’s in punk from the Ramones to the Buzzcocks and beyond. This band has an intimate social commentary on everyday life and covers almost everything from lifes cosmos like the hilarious ‘Shoplifting At Macys’ to the pill popping intrigue of ‘Mystery Pill’. Their lyrical diversity within these rampant attacks are so effective giving the band an almost Biafra styled view on life. The Briefs just keep coming out with hit after hit…god bless the fucked up USA!!!! PUNK ROCK CLASSIC! www.thebriefs.com |
| THE BRIEFS ‘Singles Only’ (BYO Records) CD December 2004 This gang of Seattle punks just can’t seem to make a bad move here in the Wolfs Lair. And it’s great to get my latest fix of the Briefs with this their ‘Singles Only’ collection (cheers Paul). They are all handily repacked on one CD for wankers like me who missed ‘em first time around. And you know what, these hyperactive cases ain’t no fluke, coz they had it all down even from the start in 2000. Right from the pounding drumming intro to “I’m Poor And Weird’…"baby you got no time for me” onwards, it made me realise with this album in my stereo I truly feel loaded!!! Not many punk bands can do that these days! I love the moody ‘Rotten Love’ with a classic swaying guitar riff that festers right under yer desires. And in the blink of an eye they cheekily nick the opening riff from ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ to propel their hilarious anti Bob Seger killing spree, during ‘Silver Bullet’ tee hee. This band explores all the lunacy of day to day living and turns it into compact 2 minute sneering anthems. There’s no excess weight on these louts! Everything including lyrics, arrangements and performance is water tight. Take for instance the schoolboy gone bad, ‘Benny’s Got A Cigarette’. Which is a fucking great social snapshot? The Ramones influence on the Briefs is a lot more prevalent on these early tracks. However they have created their own sound. These cheeky fuckers have a mischievous glint in their eye and enough imagination in their underwear to realise aping your betters is bad for health. Especially when you can inject your very own manic pop personality! A trait that will have all the young punks singing along to before they can ask ‘Where Did He Go?’ Which is an addictive killer of a track (pardon the pun). And like da bruddas they’ve got bird trouble too (who ain’t?). See the energetic ‘Silvia’ (“don't get me wrong, no she ain’t evil, she's like a stunt man evil kenevil“) or the excellent McArthuresque obsession of ‘My Baby’s A Communist’ for example. Like most Americans the Briefs sing about hypochondria, paranoia and anorexia? which naturally leads to getting dumped by your girlfriend. Crazy tales that are lovingly displayed on tunes such as the disposable ‘Like A Heart Attack’. Highlight for me had to be the sinister bass pounding of ‘Dead In The Suburbs’. Our Seattle psychos witness murder and debauchery behind the draped stars ‘n’ stripes in front yard USA, along side one the best tunes and chorus's executed this decade.There are a couple of throwaway tracks amongst the 18 on show, but they’re few and far between. And when they got ‘Were Americans‘, ‘Ain’t It The Truth’ bringing us right up to date, they can’t fail.We await their next creation with baited breath! US CONTENDER www.thebriefs.com |
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DRONGOS FOR EUROPE 'Barcode Generation' (dislocate) CD April 20th 2004 Picked this up at a recent Drongo’s gig, and it’s good to finally hear the 21st century version of Birmingham’s Drongo’s For Europe on record. Like their current live performance, this 14 tracker is tight, slick and doesn’t disappoint. Their relentless UK82 assault has a definite streamline veneer to it these days. But they still maintain that gritty Brummy bite. Guitarist Anton supply’s plenty of competent power chord riffs that never veer too far from the frenzy, and he throws in a few capable lead breaks to rise above the wreckage. Adding some melody to the fury. Big Dek Drongo on bass delivers good ballsy bass runs to give ‘em depth and muscle pummelling behind the scenes. And he‘s ably backed up by drummer Kimbo’s solid drumming workouts. Which are a load better than his cover artwork, thank gawd! Finally Tommy Drongo’s vocals have matured considerably from the Drongo’s of old. He deploys a more strained and intense roar these days. Which befits their fist clenched anthems like a leather studded glove. With a unit like this firing on all cylinders and converging on the punk underground, they can’t help but create some good rowdy punk rock. And If I was GBH I’d be looking over me shoulder coz these Drongo’s are catching you up fast! The Drongo’s even portray a conscience (shock horror!) steering into political and social issues that demand an individual stance in today’s faceless, numerical society. It’s all let loose on a hardcore landscape not too dissimilar to local legends GBH, but with a more street level rrumble. Highlights of this album had to be ‘May Day‘, ‘Wait A Minute’, ‘Destroy’ and the title track ‘Barcode Generation’ which even shows signs of dare I say it…an American influence! They attack the corporate magnates, the governments who declare war and increase poverty levels, plus all the other cunts who try and feed us or try and blackmail us into falling for the con! It’s hard to believe that they can still realistically capture the anger after all these years. But they spit it out with a genuine conviction that not many punk vets can sustain these days. And in doing so have earned themselves a growing army of younger punksters who unsurprisingly lap ‘em up big time! Comes with a good solid production that matches the Drongo’s manifesto and the lyrical proclamations. My only gripe is the tacky 'green' cover which Tommy was quick to point out was the drummers responsibility tee hee. This is heads down punk rock for a new generation! WORTH A LISTEN www.dislocate.co.uk/ drongos-for-europe.tk/ |
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| SPITTIN' VICARS 'The Gospel According To...' (rbr-063cd) CD December 2004 The Spittin’ Vicars come gobbing out the pulpit in this their debut slab of quirky, blasphemous but rather pleasing punk rock. These Euro punks dispense 13 tracks of harmonious but spiky punk doses with an eager eye for melody and a snotty nose for the late 70’s in design. It helps having a band with so much punk pedigree in their ranks. Coz you can tell these geezers know how to knock up a good punk rock tune. Sometimes punk bands made up from different elements of the scene can sound puerile, once you get ‘em in the studio! But these fuckers do seem to gel well, and although there are a couple of mediocre tracks on here, for the main ‘The Gospel According To’ seems to work. They give us a professional punk rock display, which will hold its own against most of the bands on the circuit today. Jon Codger ex- Stains, Alternative on bass and vocals may not be the most powerful singer in punk, but he’s got a certain wide boy appeal to his delivery that gives him his own unique style. And alongside Vince Incredible’s guitar licks, which are jagged and gritty creating a manic serrated edge, as he throws in some Johnny Thunders licks for added effect its a good combination. Finally on drums we got the experienced and solid Vom who’s been making a racket in punk outfits since the 70s? They kick off with a neat guitar riff that slices through a crackling radio broadcast during their current labels endorsement during ‘Radio Blast‘. The Spittin’ Vicars come from the rock 'n' roll high school of punk, with clean cut production and mid paced tunes that your either gonna sing along to or jump around too, they deserve a reaction. No big political rants here, just bitter sweet social commentary’s. I particularly liked the undercurrent guitar licks in the anti-social ‘We Don’t Like You’, which chugs along in a slightly sinister mode. They then dismiss their UK roots on ‘What England Does’ which along with ‘Oddball’ (which If you get a chance check out their hilarious video to this tune that should get MTV rotation if they pray hard enough) is the highlight of this album. I suspect these ex-pats have a secret affinity with their UK homeland or at least the groundbreaking punk rock it once spat out so vehemently. And this album tries to instil past glories but is lacking the killer punch to ram these songs home. However you can see the Spittin’ Vicars cruising towards that exalted punk arena by the next time they manage to congregate in a studio in the same continent. Let’s not forget this trio of punk rock refugees all live in different sectors of the European zone so it proves their hunger is still rife in their spray painted vestry. Talking of clerical duties their song ‘Erotica’ all about getting a blowjob on the Kings Rd is another worth your attention, with its addictive chorus. And alongside the anthem like ‘Repression’ with its tantalisingly familiar riff that you just can’t quite put your finger on, should also be a big crowd fave im sure? Vom the drummer who’s about the same size as Dudley Moore gives us a chuckle as the album closes on a Peter Cook/Dudley More spoof of ‘Jump’ to send this cheeky album jumping off the nearest block of flats for sure. WORTH A LISTEN www.spittinvicars.tk/ |
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| THE RED EYES 'Norah Louise Kuzma' EP CDEP (TREE04) 2004 4 tracks here from Glasgow’s slickest bunch of melodic punk rockers. The Red Eyes lineage is a former 90’s SLF cover band HANX, which seems to have been a good springboard to conduct business via their measured but intelligent song structures that reflect a uncanny knack for a tune. The Red Eyes have been together since 1997 and may be lacking an immediate punk presence or hardcore grit in the 21st century. But what they do give us is competent, audible punk sound thats wrapped in a strictly late 70’s style. Of course this may be old hat to some spiky ears these days, but I know I’d rather listen to this than some intense Jack Russell growling above a million miles an hour’s backbeat. Title track and cover star theme, the alluring ‘Norah Louise Kuzma’ is definitely the best track of the bunch. But who the fuck is Norah? After consulting singer/songwriter Alan, and doing some rather intensive research of my own (ahem!), it turns out to be none other than porn star Traci Lords! You live ‘n’ learn don’tcha! The Red Eyes seem to know Traci very well as they tell her sanitised life story on top of a good tune. And with Alan’s uncanny Paul Weller delivery you can’t help but notice a distinct Jam vibe, circa ‘All Mod Cons‘ resonating around these Scots. They even have that clean cut Rickenbacker guitar sound down to a tee. They follow it with a leisurely romp through ‘H-Eyes’ by the Ruts, which was lacking the burning intensity of the original, but delivered well enough to get a slot on the next Ruts covers album. 3rd track ‘All Dressed Up (NowhereTo Go)’ continues the relaxed pace, which by now should’ve had the momentum upped a gear or two. It did come with neat lead break though. Final track ‘RottenRow Baby’ continues the high quality delivery but lyrically this didn’t really captivate me. The Red Eyes need more pace to send their intricate tunes home coz that’s where they'd hit the bulls eye everytime if they captured a more intence sound of urgency. WORTH A LISTEN www.theredeyes.tk |
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| KRAUL ‘Freedom’ CD 2004 This record makes me feel really old coz it features the son of my old band (the Stench's guitarist) on guitar/vocals. Its funny how your past comes back to haunt ya in such a strange way. This Blackpool based 3 piece are thankfully a lot more accomplished musically than the Stench ever were, and sound more like a clean cut North West version of Nirvana if you want a wild comparison. They don’t have as much impact or anthems as the Seattle mob, and are quite possibly more metallic in nature too. The guitars could do with a bit more scuzz for starters, but Luke’s voice has a remarkable maturity for his age. And when the guitars do finally kick in they take on a gigantic stature. Kraul also seem to have keen ear for complex song arrangements and they can dropout with the best of em. But it can lead to some of their songs losing the required impact if they’d only just kept on chugging at those guitars a bit longer. And that jangling interruption they seem so keen on could be lost for more of the big chord progressions they are more than capable of kicking out. It gives them a hideous Indie vibe like on the opening track ‘My Life Ruined’ which was a bit up and down for me. However this 5 tracker hots up sufficiently on the last couple of tracks with ‘Freedom’ having a neat guitar solo and their best track ‘Odium’ which starts off with chiming guitar, pounding drums before growling guitars step in as it builds into a fitting grandiose death metal finale. They’ve recently been gigging all over the Northern hemisphere so it can only add to their musical prowess for future recordings and give them a bigger audience to crawl through. Not quite the sort of music style i'd probably venture far from the bar to hear, but fair dues to em for creating a very professional sounding dark debut wand it all comes with a great production too. You’ll probably be reading more about em in the pages of Terrorizer or Kerrang magazines pretty soon but until then check em out online if you want. AVERAGE www.kraul.co.uk |
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| THE PARTISANS ‘Idiot Nation’ (drstrange) CD July 2004 The Partisans reform and come back from the dead with their first album in over 20 years. This collection is the follow up to their rather grown-up ‘Time Was Right’ album from 1984. It’s a long reprise but continues the style which saw the band turning away from their rowdy but highly energetic teenage punk outbursts, into a more measured musical entity. Not sure the developed sound of ‘Idiot Nation’ is what the kids today with the Partisans spray painted on their leathers really wanna hear? But it’s a pretty good comeback all the same. Singer Spike and guitarist Andy Lealand remain from the original line-up, with an unknown Swedish rhythm section completing the line-up. If your expecting more re-runs of ‘17 Years Of Hell’ your gonna be disappointed, coz lets face it all their most outstanding tunes were from the first album and period, but on this release they continue their desire to be the new or should I say latest Clash clones on the block. It’s a blinkered assumption for me to make you might think, but just check out ‘Hypervalue’ for an immediate ‘Strummer/Jones’ comparison. Im sure the band would love the contrast and it’s definitely one that runs through most of this album. But their undoubted musical prowess has to be commended in it’s own right too. However being good composers don’t ignite the original spark they’ve obviously left back in the early 80’s. This collection just doesn’t excite me quite as much as their formative era and sound. The Partisans in 2004 sound rather tame in comparison, and when you got bands like the far superior Revolvers doing this sorta ‘west way’ sound, but with a load more gusto and hunger. You have to wonder if they would’ve got a deal with Dr Strange if they were a totally new band. You also have to ask the question, is it worth coming back after all this time with a middle aged whine instead of a teenage roar? I think we all know when they play live today were only gonna wanna hear ‘Police Story’ , ‘Arms Race’ etc and im sure they can still dish out those old tunes with relish in a live situation, but this collection merely creates a less enthusiastic degree of interest in a 20 year old name from punks past. Although without writing off the Partisans completely, tracks like ‘5am’ shows they can still knock out a rather good swinging tune when they turn on the creative juices. And it’s spotlighted eve more so during songs like the moody ‘That Girl’ which has Mick Jones circa ‘Give Em Enough Rope’ written all over it in style and delivery. And of the other outstanding tracks was ‘No Satisfaction’ which has a really good ‘Jail Guitar Doors’ kinda vibe, along side the impressive ‘Celebrity’ with its clever chiming guitar ringing out in the background. They even manage to create some high octane skanking ambience during their last track ‘Keep On’ which is reminiscent of ‘Armageddon Times’ in some aspects as the dropout kicks in alongside some midpaced rock combinations, plus it’s got the best vocal on the album. All in all WORTH A LISTEN for the curious amongst us, just don’t expect any all out rockers. DR Strange |
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