Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Rupture - Get Fucked, Cunt!
Rupture Get Fucked, Cunt! 7" (Incognito, 1996)
Gather round kiddies, let me tell you another scene story. See, back in the 80s and 90s there was a brand new phenomenon in mores that social conservatives branded Political Correctness. It sort of evolved from a previously under-utilized emotional response called 'empathy' but it was quickly seized and used as a club by all sorts of folks with varied agendas to quell basically any mode of thought or action that conflicted with Foucault's or Derrida's take on oppression. Sort of a stultifying party pooper all the way around, in that it did nothing to stop true ignorance and instead demonized any and all what the legal teams term 'excited utterances'. Stuff yer Id up yer ass. Alas, at the same time the intentions, the moral source of its authority, was noble. You get me? As it was translated in the musical scene known as punk rock, it allowed for a cadre of humorless, self-righteous bores to enjoy an influence disproportionate to their actual ability to generate this genuine emotion at the core of PC, this 'empathy'. They were handed the moral keys to the scene, and they immediately decided that lots of folks were 'fucked'.
Enter Australia's Rupture. Now, a lot of bands had an effortless knee-jerk reaction to PC, and that was to basically scribble down everything that offended the PC Squads (now that's hard) and then recite these concepts back at top volume over really bad hack metal/meathead Southern rock riffs. You know who I'm talking about here: Antiseen, and the whole Scum-whatever crew. GG Allin as well, and lots of others. Rupture are mentally right there, but they've got two redeeming things going for them: I can't understand half of what they are saying and the music, especially on this here highwater mark of an EP on the German Incognito label, can showcase a really great basement-level punk attack that sounds, well...garagey! I can enjoy this stuff because my brain has a wonderful editing chip that turns stuff like this into karaoke for me, so I get the nutritious riff-based vitamins sans the sugary sentiment, well, except for the chorus. Sure, let's go to the primary school, what, they have a vending machine that still has Shasta soda? I'm there!
Rupture had lots of records out in the 90s, I sampled a couple of others and the hit-to-miss ratio declines the faster they play, making this EP the Static Party pick of their discography. -Ryan W.
Monday, August 20, 2007
The Dirtys - It Ain't Easy 45
The Dirtys It Ain't Easy 45 (Italy, 1998)
From Detroit comes an absolute ripper of a record and why be surprised? For a couple years David Italy had one of the best, if not the best record labels going. He put out the first couple White Stripes singles and, no matter what you think of them now, those two records are great. He did a few things by Detroit mainstays The Henchmen, when they were pretty much lost in the late 90s garage band glut (and didn't deserve to be). He released a great one by Static Party favorites, The Fells. And he did the legendary, seminal Clone Defects single, Scissors Chop, not to mention the Lizard Boy 7". I think there are two out of 12 Italy releases that I don't like and that is as good of a track record that anyone has had. In the majors Italy would be batting .833.
So here is Italy Records 002 and it is a fucking ripper! The Dirtys It Ain't Easy, featuring Gories/Dirtbombs Mick Collins on guitar, jumps out of the grooves like a Gaunt song, but it is nastier, meaner. The flip, Fuck, is so aggressive it would make Blag Dalhia cower. One Dirty is dead, another one unaccounted for, and two are in the Luxury Rides. - Scott S.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Skinned Teen - Karate Hairdresser
Skinned Teen Karate Hairdresser EP (Soul Static Sound, 1993)
Perhaps you are "aware" of Skinned Teen via their split LP with Raooul on the Lookout Records label, but who are we kidding? You aren't. It's perfectly understandable as way too many terrible 90s records and bands somehow got the Riot Grrl tag applied to them, and that could've been the kiss of death all by itself depending on your personal predilections. These UK birds were tarred with that selfsame brush, and "More's the pity" as their Dad's might've grunted (they were also, like super young teenos def still livin' with the folks), as it probably inhibited the grokking of how good Skinned Teen actually were. Listen to that first track from this EP, and it's like UK Summer 1979 all over again: Refreshing, sporty, snotty, non-preachy musical energy that springs at your senses like last night's fish 'n chips splattering the floor. There's no way these grrls had heard of the Petticoats in their pre-download age, but just maybe the Slits...Anyway, top shelf effort from the UK that's a lot more engaging than any Huggy Bear product I've heard so far. -Ryan W.
