Who’d have thought that I’d manage to link an old UKHC band with Panic! At the Disco then? Track 4 ‘Shotgun Wedding’ is that (tenuous) link between those little popsters and Can’t Decide, and it’s also a damn good song. Straight to the point, this is what hardcore should sound like – forget your haircuts, myspace photos and over exaggerated senses of self-importance amongst frontmen, here we have something that’s raw. Despite the fact this compilation of tracks was recorded in the late 80s, I think it’s rightly republished today as a stark reminder of what so many modern bands owe to the guys who worked the toilet circuits when many of us (myself included) were learning how to ride a bike.
There’s just enough care put into these songs. By that I mean that there’s well-thought out rhythms and some very pertinent lyrics, but there’s a complete lack of any care as to whether everything is 100% in time in every track. I like that. The vocals themselves are nicely under-presented against the guitar work and the messages they contain outweigh the actual importance to the song in terms of sound. Quite a weird thing to say, I know, but if you listen to the record carefully I’m sure you can understand where I’m coming from. A prime example of this is ‘Who’s Fooling Who?’… a basic question of perspective which should definitely be considered by a few bands today; “from the sublime to the ridiculous” indeed.
There’s plenty to go at here. With this CD containing their entire output of 27 songs, there’s an hour of music here although some later tracks are demo versions of ones which appear higher up in the order. This is pretty much an essential purchase for anyone interested in this type of thing, but I’m guessing many will already have it. Ballsy, uncaring and fast when it needs to be, I recommend this to even those who would not normally pluck this from a CD shelf (again, myself included) if only as a little history lesson. It’ll sit uncomfortably beside your new Story of the Year record, but it sits there with a wry smile on its face knowing that 15 years on it still has the power to do so.
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