Reviews

Red Music

McRad Dominant Force LP

The A-side of this well-produced album features a brace of tight, fairly basic thrashers, only a couple of which really stand out. But the flip has a way cool reggaefied jam (“No Guns”) which reminds me vaguely of older attempts to produce crossover material by groups like the RUTS, the MEMBERS, and the (LEYTON) BUZZARDS, as well as a far less successful dub track (“Forget Those Years”). The lyrics are more serious than I expected from a band with such a clever funnypunk moniker.

Ruin He-Ho LP

RUIN present a strange, unclassifiable amalgam of psychedelia, acoustic doodling, heavy metal, punk, and thrash, usually all within the same song! The lyrics are alternately oblique, humanistic, or cosmic. These guys are clearly experimenting and searching for a unique approach, which is admirable, but I don’t always find it enjoyable, mainly because of the frequent predominance of ponderous metal elements. I really like “Dionysian” and “Where Fortune,” though, as well as the chorus in “Rule Worshipper.”

V/A Get Off My Back LP

From the City of Brotherly Love comes this great compilation. It features a few songs from ten bands (see the Philly scene report for a list), and includes all kinds of modern punk sounds. There’s out-and-out thrash, quirky punk, slower punk, faster punk, jazzy punk, etc. Mandatory listening.