Reviews

Schwa

Silver Abuse Fall from Grace EP

A real potpourri of styles here, ranging from weird, disjointed, punked-out numbers (“Cuban Homo Farm” and “Plastic Rows”) to rhythmic African chants (“Jumping Through the Jungle”) to awful art-damaged shit (“Rats Tied to Trees”). You’d have to be schizoid to like everything on this EP. Maybe SILVER ABUSE ought to try playing at mental hospitals.

Toothpaste Palestine 12″

Raw, brilliant pop in the early EMBARRASSMENT’s ballpark. TOOTHPASTE’s music shifts between fuzzy, guitar-oriented blasts (like “Amerikan Beauties” and “Skinheads Are O.K.”) and unpredictable but generally engaging amalgams of funk, punk, pop, and post-punk. The lyrics are often both exceptionally clever and politically motivated (note “Palestine” and the live unlisted track, “R.M.N. Is Better Than Sex”).