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Various Artists
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This is the second installation of GC Records' infamous YOU CALL THIS MUSIC?! punk compilation. Only a few dollars for over 30 tracks from bands with their own definition of punk! Features artwork by NY artist, FLY. TRACK LISTING
East Arcadia has an unreleased track
on here which is much better than the band’s current album.
The Bad Religion copycat song structure is still there, but harder
guitars and a madder approach make for a more entertaining ride.
Toys that Kill continues to grow in powerful ways with “Little
Bit Stranger.” These guys have only gotten stronger and catchier
since the name change from FYP. Nazis From Mars is goofy electro-punk
fun. “Animal Farm 2084: is the kind of song the Toys Dolls
used to do so well – but of course, the Nazis put their own
wacky spin on it. Kill the Scientist’s “I saw a pair
of anarchy shades for sale at the mall next to a picture of Bush
smiling” makes the Nazis track seem like the Carpenters. This
disc is a real deal for lovers of weird, creative shit, and a lot
of it is previously unreleased. More than 35 bands with punk rock,
goofy, metal songs. Hell, it’s all here! Thirty-five of your favorite bands
make a ruckus. Features Operation Cliff Clavin, ESL, Pornshot, Toys
That Kill, Four Letter Words, Nazis from Mars and oodles of others.
Personally, the highlight of the whole disc was the outro. Hefty size comp with thirty five
bands and thirty five tracks. Many of the tracks are unreleased,
which is a good thing. Highlights for me were tracks provided by
Toys That Kill (former F.Y.P makes the latter band an afterthought),
Jag Offs (fast and furious, female-led screaming punk), Nazis From
Mars (sounds like Netherlands version of early Shonen Knife) Intro5pect
(punk with a drum machine!), Kill The Scientist (reminded me of
early Butthole Surfers with the sampling and rage), Spazz (power-violence
kings!), Chris Dodge/Dave Witte (crazy power-violence mixed with
jazz-noise breaks and additional noise), The Voids (authentic sounding,
old school punk flavor), Pornshot (bubble gum silliness), Lipstick
Pickups (trashy, sloppy garage punk fun) and Four Letter Words (ten
seconds of actual music in a twenty three second track). A few downers
for me on this comp were the underwater sounding track by AS I,
the Backside track for the use of the word God and the track by
ESL where the singer sounds like he’s straining so hard, not
hitting the notes, not breathing. A good comp of bands from different
genres which is not painful listening through from start to finish.
Kind of like having a jukebox in the back of the bar mixing it up
with what people want to hear. Finally a disc that offers up some
seething straight up punk with blood on its boots, piss in its gut
and hate in its veins. This has a nice helping of bands with snotty
female vocals, something I'm rather fond of myself. For whatever
it's worth, my favorites are the Jag Offs, Backside, Pillbox Terror
and the Voids. A little bit of something for everyone, including
a handful of duds, but all with a nice chippy attitude. I think
this would make a decent party CD. A great comp from a great label.
GC Records has put some incredible punk into the world, and they've
never been afraid of experimental styles. This comp features some
of their bands, plus bands from other labels, including a LOT of
unreleased tracks. It loses some points for not being mastered particularly
well (you'll have to play with your volume from time to time) but
earns them back for being $3.00. The high points: Nazis From Mars
- Atom and his Package meets Andrew WK meets the Sex Pistols. Nice!
Intro5pect - I've been desperately in love with these guys for a
while. They have a unique mix of punk, electronica, and oi that
must be heard to be believed. "Sustainable Yield," the
track on this collection, is very good but doesn't quite do them
justice...they've got a killer 7" on GC Records that's cheaper
than dirt, and you shall buy it. Backside - NOFX meets Good Riddance
back when they were actually good. The Voids - Nifty old school
hardcore...I've never heard a chick sing this fast. Libertine -
Syracuse punks represent! WOOOO! Microsurgeon - Another band I've
been into for a while. Catchy-as-hell fast melodic synth-punk. Buy
this thing, dammit. (4 stars) Everybody has an idea about what
is and isn’t punk, but there has always been one sure way
to test for authenticity: real punk is never easy to listen to.
Instead, it’s a genre that has always demanded something out
of an audience, from self-examination to a skeptical perspective
toward authority to a willingness to abandon any firm definition
of punk rock in the first place. And whether poppy, garage-y, grind-y
or arty, the bands on this GC Records compilation are punk rock.
You Call This Music?! has the feel of a mix tape made by an enthusiastic
punk fan with good taste in energetic and boundary-bending music:
most of the bands present a variation on the tool-shed punk ethos
(grinding guitars, pounding drums, sandpaper vocals), but several
dare to add electronic drums and synthesizers to the mix. Standouts
include the always energetic and catchy Toys That Kill, Anaheim
garage/pop band the Lipstick Pickups, soundscapers No Content, the
neo-new wave of Subincision, and Norwegian power pop band Pornshot.
It’s impressive that the wide variety of punk subgenres presented
on this disc can be put back to back without the unfocused feel
endemic to so many multiband compilations. The bands here are unified
by passion and a sense of fun, which holds them together much more
tightly than whether or not they play rock punk, garage & roll,
or whichever silly descriptor you want to use. For only $3, there’s
more than enough good music to justify purchasing this CD. It’s
the cheapest re-definition of punk you’re gonna find. If you are one for CD compilations,
or looking to hear a bunch of Will-approved bands, check this one
out. There’s tracks from plenty of great bands, both active
and inactive. Bands like Toys That Kill, Spazz, Operation: Cliff
Clavin, four letter words, The Devil Is Electric, Jag Offs and Bikini
Bumps make this comp worthwhile. Besides these bands there are about
30 other bands, some of which rock, some of which are pretty good,
some of which suck in a big, big way. The art is awesome, done by
Fly. If you have 3 bucks and you’re looking to hear some cool
bands, you should certainly check this out. Be warned that most
of the material from the bands I mentioned is previously released,
so this is probably best for those who want to hear new bands. This is the second installment of
what I hope becomes a long series. The folks at Geykido Comet seem
to have really good taste in music, and, though they never compromise
music for politics, they have a knack for picking politically intelligent
bands. This particular comp has thirty-five songs on it, and though
it does go flat in a couple of places, it’s a good listen
all the way through. The music is fairly diverse, and there’s
a ton of great songs on here by bands like The Voids, Jack Killed
Jill, Pornshot, Spazz, East Arcadia, Toys That Kill, The Devil Is
Electric, and so on. Highly recommended.
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