Reviews

Spinhead

Painted Willie Ragged Army EP

A goofy garage punk effort from some ex-members of SIN 34. The tempos are medium-speed, the guitars are crude, the themes are seriocomic, and the vocals are rough and semi-psychotic. Entertaining, but not outstanding.

Painted Willie My Fellow Americans 12″

A musical departure of sorts for PAINTED WILLIE, this topical release incorporates aspects of rap, funk, and slower rhythmic forms. But the accent here is on lyrics, with title track zeroing in on Reagan’s “We begin bombing Russia…” “joke,” and going on from there. It’d be nice to see more bands using vinyl as “current events” ways of communicating opposition.

Sin 34 Do You Feel Safe? LP

SIN 34’s long-awaited debut album is finally here, and it’s been worth the wait. There are some serious songs and some hilarious ones, but the main difference between this release and their debut EP is the vastly-improved production. At times, these characters remind me of what the AVENGERS might have sounded like had they encountered thrash. Real neat.