Native Tongue

  • Native Tongue
  • Yowl (Modern Method) 1983 

As many others also would, this Boston-area trio took the English lessons of Gang of Four (driving beat, scratchy guitars) to heart, but didn’t master them. The songs on Yowl pound along with no shape and little color, while the tuneless vocals are especially unpleasant. Although sincere-sounding, the record is not radical or gonzo enough to succeed on those terms.

[Ira Robbins]