Reviews

Going Underground

Burning Image The Final Conflict / Burning Image, Burning 7″ reissue

Bakersfield’s BURNING IMAGE was one of the original bands from the California deathrock scene and this is the official reissue of their classic single from 1984. The 7″ has “The Final Conflict” and “Burning Image, Burning,” two songs produced by Chaz Ramirez, producer of SOCIAL DISTORTION’s Mommy’s Little Monster. Enough context. Side A starts all sinister and dark. “The Final Conflict” has an awesome guitar tone. I really enjoy the way the almost angular riff sets the unsettling space for the chorus, then those Spaghetti Western-style solos, and how it ends in almost full chaos. Amazing. Side B’s “Burning Image, Burning” riffing is pure Rikk Agnew beauty, both melodic and dissonant, always interesting and full of harmonics. The band really knows how to build tension and release within the song while making it catchy as hell.

Deseos Primitivos Deseos Primitivos LP

This is the premiere full-length LP from Oakland’s DESEOS PRIMITIVOS. With all but one clocking under two minutes, these songs don’t overstay their welcome. This record will shake you out of your complacency. Full of pit-worthy bangers, in keeping with early West Coast punk and proto-hardcore styles. Some songs have an almost anthemic quality, inspiring ESKORBUTO comparisons with shared vocal choruses that you can raise a fist to. A moment or two felt like a sped up version of the CURE’s Three Imaginary Boys, but that might just be me. DESEOS PRIMITIVOS play with many different sonic angles, and it’s a joy to hear their sound captured so effectively. A few songs are carried over from previous releases, and benefit from their reimagining here. These recordings feel cleaner and louder, while retaining the raw energy that makes this band what it is. Lyrics tackle  issues like colonization, gentrification, and homelessness. This release is one of the standouts of the year. If this has somehow slipped past your radar, be sure to remedy that.

G*U*N*N G*U*N*N LP

The main influence I hear is the FU’S. Even a little bit of STRAW DOGS in a couple tunes, but generally speaking, the approach is incredibly satisfying meat-and-potatoes hardcore. What you can also hear, though, is California. Think stuff like the FACTION, with that focus on skating and partying and just being a Cali punk. I am not familiar with their earlier releases, but this sounds incredibly purposeful—love to hear a band knowing who they are and exactly what they want to do on a record. The record absolutely benefits from repeated listens, it gets more fun the more familiar you are with what’s happening, and I appreciate the SPAZZ-ish devotion to throwing in samples to make the whole thing feel even more cohesive. This would be a great second or third release for most bands, but as a debut LP, it’s even more remarkable.

Gunn Peace Love & Heavy Weaponry EP

Man, this is just the best shit. Record of the year. GUNN from Orange County plays gruff, no-frills American hardcore, with vocals not unlike HUMAN SUFFERAGE and GAS RAG. Side A packs three songs into three minutes, and “Slacker” distills an innate universal truth into its brief chorus: “I’m so sick of this shit / I just can’t wait to quit / All this shit is a waste of time / I just want to see you die.” On the B-side, GUNN slows down to a NO TREND or later BLACK FLAG swing for “Not Original,” then speeds up a bit for “Killing Time.” I was born and raised in Southern California’s endless suburbia, and there is no more appropriate soundtrack for the oppressive, brain-deadening sunshine than this song. An instant classic. Kings of suburbia. Long may they run.

Hot Load Fate Unknown LP

Some things just work together. Oysters and stout. Cheese and Branston pickle. Lee Trundle and a swift kick up the arse. And on this HOT LOAD release, we see just how thrilling it can be when metal and punk have a kiss and a cuddle. Obviously indebted to acts like ENGLISH DOGS, DISCHARGE, and JUDAS PRIEST, it’s never-gets-tiresome NWHOBM swagger and the speed of D-beat in one delightful little package, wrapped up in a bullet belt. Is it the most intellectual exercise of all time? No, clearly not. But maybe the nerds over in the egg-punk corner can sit this one out and let the real rockers have a laugh.

Seudo Youth Nobody Gets Down Like… LP

SEUDO YOUTH from Los Angeles takes no prisoners with Nobody Gets Down Like…, a twelve-track, fifteen-minute explosion of chaotic, noisy hardcore. With members of G.U.N.N., the FREAKEES, ADVOIDS, and PEOPLE’S TEMPLE in the mix, you know this isn’t gonna be a polite listen. The tunes are raw, frenetic bursts of energy, drenched in a wall-of-noise production that buries the reverbed vocals just enough to keep things unhinged. Are they reinventing the genre? Probably not. But does it matter when the energy is this contagious? The kids should go feral for this, and I can already see the bodies flying at their live shows. Check out: “M*A*S*H.”

The Smog Set in Stone / Lost My Mind 7″

People be loving the SMOG! This is the Japanese group’s third single and they’ve built a modest buzz based on their sharp, tuneful punk rockin’. “Set in Stone” threw me for a sec as it opens like GIRLS AT OUR BEST’s “Getting Nowhere Fast,” but then settles into a flavor profile that is closer to the JAM stirring a spoonful more garage into their mod stew. “Lost My Mind” gets slightly more angular and approximates what BLOC PARTY would sound like if they had any punk demos.

The Smog Speed of Life / New Game 7″

Two killer new cuts from Japan’s the SMOG. This is what I consider perfect punk. What does it take to qualify for perfect punk, you ask? I don’t really have specifics, but I do know when I hear it. There’s a strong BUZZCOCKS influence to the songwriting, and it’s played with the ferocity of Japanese punks SS. Play it loud, you deserve perfection!

Twisted Teens Florida Water Blues LP

Folks fucking love this band. Read anything about the New Orleans duo, and you’ll find them held up next to all sorts of giants: GREG CARTWRIGHT, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, the GUN CLUB. YellowGreenRed even asks you to imagine them as GEORGE THOROGOOD under the influence of SWELL MAPS and NEU! They’re simultaneously reviving and reinventing down-home garage rock! And I sort of get the hype. There is something undeniable in the timbre of singer Caspian Hollywell’s voice and the soul he’s able to effortlessly impart to these compositions, and Razor Ramone’s woozy pedal steel really helps tie together the dusty scene they are painting. The pair also cut quite the dashing figure on the covers of their records, each of which sticks to a simple but striking aesthetic. Dudes have nailed their branding! And when I disengage with all of this and the music on Florida Water Blues just enough—like softening my focus to let a Magic Eye poster reveal the image of hobo carrying a bindle—I can sort of buy in, maybe even think something like, “huh, neat!” The second I give it any thought, though, that illusion of depth is shattered, and the branding is kind of all that’s left. Personally, I find the whole train-hopping, Southern-fried yarn-spinner schtick corny as hell. I’ve always felt similarly about SPRINGSTEEN, so I get that comparison. But as much as I dislike his music, the Boss can write the hell out of song. With Florida Water Blues, I don’t so much have a problem with the tunes, but these lyrics—holy shit! They range from a smattering of hacky tropes (swamps, old highways, cans of beans), to PARQUET COURTS-style tedious cleverness (“Concealed Weepin’” can fuck right off!), to outright crimes against language (“I know you’re wetter than a drowning fish / So I’m coming right over just to eat your dish”). And while I can hear the comparison points mentioned above (except for NEU! and SWELL MAPS…seriously, what!?), I was also reminded of a bevy of much lamer bands: SOCIAL DISTORTION, FLAMING LIPS, BECK, or WEEN. I even caught a whiff of SUBLIME on the album opener! Which is not to say they’re trying to sound like these bands or even that it’s bad to. Look, I know I’m going against the tide on this one. But my honest opinion is that this shit is a mix of just fine and decidedly not for me…and also that some of y’all need to calm down.