Layaway Plan
Solutions To Substance
Smallman
At first, I thought…who knew Canadians could rock so hard? Then I looked and realized that if you’re from Moose Jaw, you have nothing else to do but get really angry and listen to lots of Snapcase and Fugazi, so you’re inevitably gonna lash out at the world with some intense mutation of hardcore and standard punk, right? Toss in some metal chugging here and there, and it all spells “fucking winner” with LP’s latest effort. Grinding vocals mix with harmonic guitars, a stellar drummer and beats that weave from booming to blasting (how far is that?) in seconds.
Rating: VVVV
Keith Carman
Various
Alpha Motherfuckers – A Tribute to Turbonegro
Hopeless
It has become increasingly apparent that I am living a sadly sheltered life. As embarrassing as it is to admit, I had never heard of Turbonegro until this CD was placed in my hands. But I will live in ignorance no more! If a tribute can sound this good, the real thing must be miles beyond. The CD features outstanding rockers such as Nashville Pussy, the Supersuckers and Real McKenzies, who each offer sublime covers of what is obviously first-rate hardcore material, and a host of others (for some of whom this is the best material they ever released). Highly recommended for Turbo fans and anyone with a hardcore fetish.
Rating:VVVV
The Bitch
Techno Animal
The Brotherhood of the Bomb
Matador
Shit, this is one warped record. At times, it sounds like the Bomb Squad if they existed today: other times, they’re making subdued electronic tracks to chill to. The disc boasts collaborations with the cream of the underground hip hop scene—Anti-Pop Consortium, Company Flow’s El-P and Vast Arie from Cannibal Ox. The press release describes this album as fusing “mutant hip hop, warped metal and depth trawling dub into one almighty soundclash,” and that’s a pretty accurate description of this disc. Highlights include the Anti-Pop Consortium collaboration, Glass Prism Enclosure, the crushing opener Cruise Mode 101, and the instrumental Monoscopic.
Rating: VVVV
Andrew Chin
Hot Water Music
A Flight And A Crash
Epitaph
Being a massive fan of the DIY approach that HWM have always taken, I must admit a bit of trepidation at seeing how their latest album was going to be handled by a “major” indie label. Nightmares of them selling out entirely and becoming yet another Rancid or Pennywise filled me as I placed the disc into the carriage. With the first note, I knew that these cats were still right on the money. A powerful meld of high-octane riffing, melodic passages and gritty vocals, these guys mix so many elements of punk that it’s virtually impossible to peg them to one sub-genre. And that fuckin’ rules.
Rating: VVVVV
Al Gaunt
Dead Kennedys
Complete Reissues
EMI
For all of the bitching and griping that’s been going on around the whole Jello Biafra/East Bay Ray/DH Pelligro nonsense, it really seems like the music is being completely overlooked here. I thought punk was about making a statement and being an individual, but clearly I am entirely naïve, ’cause the battle rages on, even if there has been some kind of settlement arranged.
If you have no idea what all that means, then shame on you for not being a dyed-in-the-wool punker. But thanks to EMI, you now have a chance to redeem yourself, as this wonderful label has won the rights to reissue almost all of the DK’s catalogue. More impressive, though, is the fact that they didn’t fuck with it. Instead, they realized that you can’t improve on something this friggin’ good, so why not just spice up the original booklets a bit. Kicking off with a coupling of the band’s second album, Plastic Surgery Disasters, and the vital EP In God We Trust, Inc, the reissue shoots straight through Frankenchrist, Bedtime For Democracy and Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death, their complete retrospective. With all albums digitally remastered, sound quality is at a premium for basement recordings, and all booklets have been fleshed out to a wonderful 32 pages each. As an amusing bookend, EMI have also released Mutiny On The Bay, the first-ever authorized DKs live album, which is pretty much at the mercy of your true DKs devotion. Still, one really can’t go wrong with any of this music, as we’ve all had our moments freakin’ out to “California Uber Alles” or “Too Drunk To Fuck,” so now we can feel good by giving something back to one of punks’ true originators.
Rating: VVVVV
Keith Carman
