issue #07 pdf - Razorcake

air to the style, despite the poprhythms and hooks. The keyboardgives it an urban feel as well.Overall, a good and consistent listen.“Fortunes” is a great song.–M.Avrg (Captain Oi!)FLYS, THE: WaikikiBeach Refugees: CDThis is a re-release of this band’sfirst album and although it’s a damnfine album, the real gems to befound here are the singles cutstacked on at the end as bonus cuts.Of particular note is “Love and aMolotov Cocktail,” one of the bestpunk songs ever written, and “CanI Crash Here,” which ain’t farbehind. Great, great stuff. –JimmyAlvarado (Captain Oi!)FRANK VIOLENCE ANDHIS DEPUTIES:Self-titled: 7”Can’t tell if “Faggot in the Family”is supposed to be belligerent or ifMr. Violence is one himself, butanyway this is one really dumb funtimedisc with three rockabillypunkers and one slow Ramonesstyler. –Cuss Baxter (Violent)FURIOUS IV:...Is That You?: CDThis is a tough one to review. WhileI’m not too enthused by the professional,“rock” aspect of their sound,I am impressed by their convictionand how well it translates into theirmusic. There’s an intensity herethat simmers just below the surface,which is something most bands inthe pop punk cesspool sorely lack. Ican see these guys going pretty farjust by staying within the confinesof that genre alone. Not exactly mybag of worms here, but I am mightilyimpressed. –Jimmy Alvarado(Pointed Finger)GG ALLIN:Violent Beatings: CDApparently this CD is the WatchMe Kill EP remastered with previouslyunavailable versions of songsfrom the Suicide Sessions. I’m nofan of GG. After hearing this, nothinghas changed. The recording isterrible (remastered, my ass) andthe songs aren’t much better. If youare a fan, you might like this. Me,no. I don’t like having shit thrownat me at a show, and I definitelydon’t want it coming out of myspeakers. –Toby Tober (Acme)GRANNIES, THE:Self-titled: CDAt first glance of this CD, I waspretty weary. The Grannies was apretty silly name and these guyswere dressed in old woman garbwith masks and stuff. Very peculiar.But let me tell you, one listen andimmediately I forgot the CD covernonsense. These guys rock. Theirsound reminds me of bands likeThe Mono Men and The Makers.It’s straight forward rock’n’roll.The Grannies also have just a hintof a country influence withoutsounding anything like country.There are guest vocals by a femaleon a few tracks which really roundout the band’s sound very well. Ihave not stopped listening to thissince I received it. Go grab yourselfa flowery dress, an old lady maskand a raggedy cowboy hat withskulls on it and listen to this shit.–Toby Tober (Dead Teenager)HEART ATTACK:The Last War 1980-’84: CDThis is a pretty cool, affordabledocument of prototypical NewYork Hardcore before the term hadcompletely jelled, became codified,and turned into rigid genre. What’spretty stunning is that guitarist andvocalist Jesse Malin (who went onto D Generation) and bassistBrendan Lewis are fucking twelveyears old when the band started andthe drummer is thirteen. It’s almostimpossible to tell. Their voicesaren’t all screechy like LA’s MadSociety, nor were they as kitschy(Stephen Metz was a nine-year-oldin a loincloth when Mad Societyrecorded their 45). It’s extremelycompetent, earnest early hardcore,a couple notches below the highstandard that Bad Brains and MinorThreat would aspire to and raise thebar on, but it’s definitely nothing toscoff at. It’s chronological (coveringtheir demos and EPs), twentysixsongs in all, and it’s apparentthat the band learns how to playfaster, add melody, and ultimatelyadjust tempos to keep from beingstale. It’s also definitely great tohear an authentic period piece. It’sexactly how early punk used tosound. Far from sonically perfect,but the performances and faith inthe hope that music could changethe world makes that all but irrelevant.To up the archival nature ofthis recording, there are someweird, crusting hums and staticright in the middle of a couplesongs that I bet are the result ofplaying really crispy master tapesin order to digitize them. My onlygripe is that there’s no lyrics sheet,which is always a shame, especiallyfor a band that’s right on the cuspbetween being a seminal collector’sfind and crucial punk document.–Todd (Broken Rekkids)JACK KILLED JILL:Hello Neighbor: CDJKJ ferociously roar like a musically-inclinedlion whose butt’s justbeen pierced by a rocket-fuellednuclear warhead. The bouncy, toecurlingsongs furiously rock withall-out high-octane energy, yet possessa certain wild’n’giddy poppyedge to ‘em that’s endearing, entertaining,addictive, and attentionabsorbing.The snotty growlingshe-monster vocals pack one helluvacaustically cutting wallop thatknocked my dick in the dirt fasterthan a flea shits, and the full-forceraging instrumentation has “PunkRock Approved and Affiliated”heartily stamped all over it. I’veenthusiastically listened to this sonicallysumptuous CD the entireevening, and all I wanna do now isloudly blast it a few more hourswhile relentlessly boomerangingmy tattered’n’torn old bodythroughout the house in an inebriatedtribute to the rip-roarin’ musicalsplendor of Jack Killed Jill. Theyare indeed the ultimate in bad-asstune-thrashers! –Roger Moser, Jr.(Geykido Comet)JOHN BROWNBATTERY: Is Jinxed: CDYet another emocore band. if youdig the stuff, you’ll be creamingyour jeans over this. Me, I find dippingmy finger in habanero chileand jamming it into my eye repeatedlyto be less painful and loadsmore entertaining. –JimmyAlvarado (Hewhocorruptsinc.)KOSHER:Self Control: CDBYO compares them to theReplacements and Dillinger 4, but Iwouldn’t even go near those comparisons.Like much of what’s comingout of that label lately (notcounting Youth Brigade’s output,which is, if possible, even betterthan their efforts “back in the day”),Kosher sounds like a second-tieropener for your average Epitaphband (pick one), which is to say asnicely as possible that they’re agood band in theory, but so much ofwhat they’re doing sounds like arehash of what so many other bandsare already rehashing to death, allstyle, zero originality and zero substance.–Jimmy Alvarado (BYO)LE TIGRE: FeministSweepstakes: CDIt’s the newest installation from theNew York-based rollerskate jamgirls. I know there has been this bigbuzz about how Le Tigre are sogreat, they’re so ground breaking,etc... Well, they are damnit! Thevoice was turning into a whisper,ladies. Le Tigre brought back ourgrowl. Feminist Sweepstakes ispacked with a lot more beats. It’snot as poppy (or as dance-y) asbefore, but it is more trance-y. It’skinda got some eighties thump to itbut still just as catchy. FeministSweepstakes is different, but moreso in an evolution sort of way asopposed to a metamorphosis typeof way. Rather than release a bunchof albums that sound the same, LeTigre continue to speak their truthin word and sound however theirfeelings excite them to do so. Whatwe get is a new sound and a specialthrill to help keep our awareness,and our intentions up to par.–Harmonee (Mr. Lady)LEAVING TRAINS:Emotional Legs: CDA mixed bag. When they stick totheir originals, they are amazing.Some real top-notch punk tuneshere, most notably, “Big Baby,”“Capricious,” and “Judy Don’tMind,” although all have their merits.Sadly, these great songs aremarried to a great deal of filler,including unlisted instrumental outtakesand covers of songs by theUrinals (“Black Hole”), Eddie &the Subtitles (“American Society”),Black Sabbath (an abysmal coverof “Never Say Die”) andMegadeath (“Killing for Jesus,”which was done to greater effect bythe Circle Jerks years ago), amongothers. This could’ve been a classicalbum. It’s a damn shame theychose to sabotage the effort insteadof coming up with just one or twomore good tracks and then quittingwhile they were ahead. –JimmyAlvarado (Steel Cage)LIMP: Self-titled: CDI was ready to hate this. But thegeekiness inside of me overtookme. The songs have great pophooks to them and make me want tojump on my chair and go-go dancefor my wife to repulse her. Thesongs are mid-tempo but there is anenergy to their music. It puts on asmile to this already old and jadedface. More and more I listen to this,I proclaim this a pop gem! Thesong “Atom Bomb” has an irresistiblequality to it. It is a song Iwish I would have written. Man,this band has written a great thirdrelease. Much improved and betterthan all of their previous output.–Donofthedead (Honest Don’s)LOST SOUNDS, THE:Memphis Is Dead: CDSome absolutely crazed music here.Take the intensity of a band like LeShok, add a dash of goth, a smidgeof hardcore and a veritable truckloadof ‘60s trash and you still ain’teven close, boyo. A nice example ofhow to take disparate influences,mush them all together and makesomething all your own. Greatnoise here, to be played LOUD andtaken in conjunction with largeamounts of aspirin. 77