Give this Los Angeles trio five points for title and ten more for the zombie movie-still cover of their debut album. The 12 punky party tunes (six each on the “Funny Side” and “Scary Side”) aren’t bad, either — gabbagabba rock silliness like “John Belushi,” “Die Bob [Hope] Die” and “Riot in the Men’s Room.” Sloppy, sarcastic, cloddish and wild, the Fiends are the kind of kids high school teachers describe as having “attitude problems.” All right!
Unfortunately, the hard-rocking production (John Doe and Randy Burns) on Gynecölögy is the album’s best feature: guitarist Scott T. Morrow’s sore-throat screaming otherwise makes listening something of a chore. The undistinguished music and puerile, smarmy lyrics like “Hugh G. Erection” and “Col. Lingus” further bury this tripe.