CHELSEA finds the groove with an upbeat collection of melodic 1977-style punk anthems. Often inconsistent in the past, CHELSEA’s latest lineup orchestrates classics like “Cover Up,” “War Across the Nation,” and the incredible “Evacuate” with flair and authority. Best of all, the band fuels their political sentiments with a higher level of literacy than most rock outfits can muster. There is only one bad song in the bunch. Snap this record up.
CHELSEA seem to have fallen into a stylistic rut in their latest single. While the production factors are raw (a welcome change), CHELSEA have galvanized the hooks and choruses from their last two singles and album into an effective but unoriginal package. The lyrics, too, tend to degenerate into the predictable.
A very good debut 7” by this AZ act, eight clean, powerful songs, mostly thrash with an accent on energy. Far from generic, they have their own sound, different from any other particular band. Lyrically, the emphasis is on caring for others and working for social change. Totally great!!
Yet another in a seemingly endless line of British punk records. Though this new group doesn’t really break any new ground, better songwriting ability lifts them above the pack. If you insist on rehashing a ’70s punk format in 1982, you’ve got to write memorable tunes to hold anyone’s interest, and MAJOR ACCIDENT occasionally succeed where innumerable others are failing. Cool recording, too.
