Young poets on the East Coast were originally attracted to punk by its simplicity, directness and malleability. Most prominently, Patti Smith and Richard Hell found that crudely executed rock’n’roll provided the perfect backdrop for their verbal barrages. Though less celebrated, California’s Chris Desjardins made equally ambitious records with a constantly changing set of Flesh Eaters…
When the Adverts (including brilliantly named bassist Gaye Advert) debuted on a 1977 Stiff 45 with “One Chord Wonders,” the young London (by way of Devon) quartet could barely play their instruments. But that didn’t keep vocalist-guitarist Tim (T.V.) Smith’s song from offering a witty commentary on earnest incompetence. By the time they recut the…
Can traditional rock’n’roll survive in the modern world? As long as Dave Edmunds is around, the answer will be yes. A rousing singer, superlative guitarist and wizard producer, the Welsh native has preserved the simplicity and directness of ’50s rock without ever sounding like a slavish revivalist. Along the way, he’s also performed tricks with…
Hillbilly cats with a serious punk streak, Jason and the Scorchers were — in their early days — about as un-Nashville as a Nashville-based band could be. The group set out to blend incompatible elements and succeeded well beyond their expectations, mixing dirty roots rock, nihilistic, energy-crazed hardcore and traditional cornball country, spiked with dashes…
Leading the three-man Swingers up from Down Under, ex-Split Enz guitarist/composer Phil Judd rejected his earlier, convoluted melodicism for a still-quirky but more compact, abrasive approach, with phenomenal results. Judd’s eccentric mental mixmaster spews out the clichés of mid-’60s Anglo-rock (Beatles, Stones, Who, Kinks) wackily updated, unreal and askew. His Dave Davies-as-young-schizo vocals (often abetted…
Glasgow’s coy Orange Juice, de facto leaders of the Scottish neo-pop revolution, typified a UK trend towards clean, innocent looks that unfortunately spilled over into the music. Emphasizing their “unspoiled” raggedness, the band began with clumsy tunes about insecurity and romantic rejection; singer Edwyn Collins mumbles and croons like a slowed-down Ray Davies. You Can’t…
Television was the satisfying result of a clash between two disparate styles. Leader Tom Verlaine was the dreamer, playing sinuous guitar and singing in the strangled, intense voice of a young poet. Guitarist Richard Lloyd and the rhythm section of Billy Ficca and Fred Smith tended more to classic, bash-it-out rock’n’roll. When Verlaine went solo,…
Why do I write about music? Why does anyone? I’ve given that question a lot of thought and I have discerned subliminal motives that are less than flattering. On one hand, it’s the desire to share what moves me, to offer the benefit of serious consideration and historical knowledge to the young and curious. On a deeper level, however, it springs from a desire to be accepted and appreciated, to establish standing in the world that I hungered for as a child.
Signed to an unhip label, London cut one lone LP without a proper producer, yet still earned posthumous notoriety when drummer Jon Moss, following stints in the Damned and other bands, surfaced in Culture Club. For London’s part, maybe a producer could have sorted out the confusion that dominates Animal Games — an angry Pistols/Who…
Although Raleigh, North Carolina’s Dish and Motocaster share singer/guitarist Bo Taylor, neither band is a side project. Motocaster, a noisy trio formerly known as Motorolla, serves as the outlet for Taylor’s ruder self, while in Dish he plays a strong second banana to singer/pianist Dana Kletter, tempering her chamber-pop tendencies with a ragged, soulful edge.…
The French name to the contrary, Mikel Rouse originally formed his trio in Kansas City, relocating it to New York in 1979. As a singer, Rouse shows promise, but Etudes borrows far too much from early Talking Heads to be accused of originality and is rhythmically monotonous to boot. Following a Belgian LP release, Tirez…
Time has always stood still for the Fleshtones. Old-fashioned in sound when they began plying their “super- rock” trade in New York’s skankiest night clubs in 1976, the Queens group’s determined mediums — singer Peter Zaremba, guitarist Keith Streng and drummer Bill Milhizer — have never stopped channeling the spirit of every great rock’n’roll party…
In its prime, San Francisco’s Flipper was a magnificent, fascinating entity, playing what might have been typical hardcore music at an unsettlingly slow speed: like a 45 slowed down to sub-LP pace, a flawless impression of a downed-out hardcore band. The harsh music lumbers and creaks, oozing feedback all the way. Flipper could be your…
By the time a pair of ne’er-do-well Hoosier punks rechristened themselves Axl and Izzy and headed west to the promised land, the core of Vincennes, Indiana’s Lazy Cowgirls had already blazed that trail, absorbing many of the same substances (both aurally and otherwise) while retaining the ingrained grittiness and knee-jerk bad attitude that marks ’em…
Without erstwhile Soft Cell partner Marc Almond supplying the sleaze, shy keyboard man Dave Ball is a cold-hearted bore on his solo album. In Strict Tempo‘s drab mood pieces strain with little success for wry wit to leaven the pretentiousness, but wind up just a jumble of undeveloped ideas. Genesis P-Orridge of Psychic TV warbles…
The Reds perfected a hard-hitting, theatrical style that makes the music jump off the record and pin you to the wall. Suggesting an educated alternative to the Stooges, or a double-time interpretation of the Doors, this Philadelphia quartet played only at peak intensity, much like a dumb heavy metal band. However, the Reds don’t exaggerate…
Australia’s Hummingbirds play an agreeable form of brisk guitar-band pop that’s hypnotic in small doses, but soporific on loveBUZZ‘s 55-minute length. With American classicist Mitch Easter producing, the Sydney quartet’s debut emphasizes a ringing blend of male and female three-part harmonies, generating a sweet, airy vibe with unabashed guitar energy. While toned-down efforts like “Everything…
Art and Artie Barnes (one of whom had a highly public former life as Billy Mumy, child actor) are a sick pair of perverts you would not want to know personally. At your party, they would stage disgusting practical jokes; they would tell obscene lies to your parents just to get a laugh. Both Voobaha…
Formed in Los Angeles by sharp-voiced singer/guitarist Peter Case after ending the Nerves, the Plimsouls were one of many bands sucked up by record-label power pop mania in the wake of the Knack’s success. Following a short independent recording career, the Plimsouls signed a big deal and made one fine album that didn’t sell. That…
In its original skinny-tie incarnation, this raucous fivesome from Springfield, Missouri combined the rough-and-tumble appeal of an ace bar band with diverse pop songwriting talent. Everyone except drummer Tommy Dwyer wrote and sang, displaying the diverse influence of the Stones, Beatles, soft pop, Little Richard, Led Zeppelin and Bowie. Here to Observe is an irrepressible…
