Stanford Prison Experiment

The Gato Hunch (World Domination)
by Nik Rainey

Tight as the Gordian knot in the laces of your Docs, Stanford Prison Experiment‘s second LP has volume, punch, and claustrophobic dynamics to burn, with a thin but glowing thread of Limey politi-punk (Gang of Four, etc.) coiling through it. It’s not lacking in sXe polemics either, but this remains secondary to the So-Cal-not-lo-cal aural avalanche, so you can choose to ignore it if you wish. And when, as in “The Accomplice,” they open it up with a little scree-funk, all is cool. But best of all is the bonus track, 28 whole minutes of music-free speechifying by that old-school hardcore mofo Noam Chomsky. Now that, friends, is rock ‘n’ roll.