I Should Have Known - punk rock music - Brief Article

Thrasher Magazine, Dec, 2001 by Wez Lundry

I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN. ALL THE SPAZZY BANDS that are coming out now are leading me to one sinister conclusion: The new wave side of punk is coming back with a vengeance. Embrace it; it had to happen sooner or later. It was getting difficult to count the number of bands with "77" in their names. Well, how about moving on a few years when the line between new wave and punk was still not completely demarcated and the two were still pretty much the same thing? I have just witnessed a couple such acts and to my amazement had the time of my life.

Unapologetically goofy at times, two bands that fit into this style are The Epoxies from Portland whom are pretty damn far out there, and The Briefs. Live, they both played gutsy but goofy sets that had the crowd pogoing. The Briefs have also released an LP that is smokin', entitled Hit After Hit on Dirtnap Records. Rumor has it that they've signed a bigger deal so I guess we shall see if the world is ready for a punk/wave resurgence. I say bring it on. Also falling close to the new wave side of things (and definitely spazzy) is The Fatal Flying Guillotines' LP The Now hustle for New Diaboliks on Estrus. Unadultered freakiness abounds and although they don't really sound like either band, I can't help thinking of Scratch Acid (pounding beat) and The Nation of Ulysses (wacky, off tune vocals) as reference points... Zen Guerrilla is back with another supersonic soul blast. Heavy heavy riffage aplenty, check out Shadows on the Sun on Sub Pop. Also new on Sub Pop is The Murder City Devil's "Thelema" CD EP. It's an enhanced CD that's got the "Idle Hands" video for those with the computing capability, but it's also got five new songs and one previously released as a single. They were an amazing band to see live. Too bad they broke up. Derek from the Devils' other band, Pretty Girls Make Graves, has released a self-titled four-song EP on Sound Virus that's furious as hell. They put on a killer show and singer Andrea has the perfect presence and voice to compliment the mayhem generated behind her... Shitting my pants over the release of a Los Olvidados CD (Listen to This on Blue Tile). They released a few tracks on compilations, including early Thrasher Skate Rock stuff, but self-destructed before releasing anything big, which is a tragedy as they surely would have gone far (well, at least as far as they could go in punk rock during 1981-'83). Sure, this stuff was recorded 20-odd years ago, but is so damn vital that you should get it and appreciate it for the gem it never was but should have been... Another gem from the vaults is a 10-inch from The Nerves, entitled "25th Anniversary" and on Penniman Records from Spain. It's a pricey import, but worthy It's got the original version of "Hanging on the Telephone" made famous by Blondie as well as a couple others you might recognize (like "One Way Ticket," covered by Teengenerate, among others). The music is pretty stripped-down but not simplistic, just genuinely excellent edgy pop in the vein of '60s Brit bands and early American garage rock.. . Also from ages ago comes The Adverts Crossing the Red Sea with the Adverts LP. Given the lack of information on this one it's maybe safe to assume that it is a boot, but it sounds as though it was mastered from the original as the quality is top notch. And it's on thick, heavy vinyl; great early Britpunk... Rounding out the old stuff is a great 7-inch by The Dogs. They've reissued a ton of Dogs stuff recently it's howling early American punk from Detroit, showing off the inescapable Motor City imprint (MC5, Stooges, etc). Check out "Slash Your Face" with the awesome B-side track "Are You a Boy? Or Are You a Girl?" on Dionysus... Also on the 7-inch front is a new one from two-piece Bantam Rooster. They've been around for a few years and keep puttin' stuff out, but haven't grabbed my attention until this, which makes me wonder what I've been missing. Seriously stompin' garage work, it's hard to believe it is just these two makin' this din. Find "I, Gemini" on Estrus Records...