Bickley
Kiss the Bunny (Fearless)
by Scott Hefflon
Rock just doesn’t have the balls it once did, does it? Whether it’s called punk or rock or whatthefuckever, most of this formulaic shit just doesn’t make you crank it up and yell, “Foot to the floor, motherfuckers!” While garagabilly has whiskey-drinkin’ bloody knuckles, punk seems more inspired by the Beatles than a desire to smash things. Thank the god of chaos for super-destructo bands like The Vindictives, Dayglo Abortions, Lummox, and newcomers like Migraines and Bickley. With bands like Zeke, Speedealer, Nashville Pussy, and Electric Frankenstein gaining popularity, maybe there’s hope after all. Sloppy Seconds, on the whole, is top-notch, but their newest release has only a few classics to add to their set list. Ditto with Guttermouth (they’re more manic SoCal than Midwest shit-kicker, but let’s not dicker over specifics). Bickley is from Houston, Texas, and it shows.
In the spirit of true, dangerous punk rock, Bickley snarl about beer, bitches, beer & bitches, and all that. And while much of it is melodic, peppy punk with whoa-whoas, they’re bad-ass enough to goof on a 25-second ballad called “Natalie,” cover The Vindictives’ cover of Banana Splits’ “Two Ton Tessie,” and The Cars’ “My Best Friend’s Girl.” (Originally, I was thinking Autograph’s “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend Isn’t Me,” but I guess I’ve have to wait to hear that one.) Kiss the Bunny is redneck-bar stomp’n’roll amped up on speed and J.D., suckerpunching bartenders, stealing cars, and whoopin’ it up with your slut girlfriend. Most songs are barely over a minute, don’t dick around with solos, throw in rounds and harmonies wherever they damn well please, and are perfect to swill cheap beer to. Belch along, throw bottles against the wall, hit repeat and wonder why so many other bands are such pussies.
The “final” track is a cover of the classic “Somebody’s Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight.” Put it this way – it ain’t much of a stretch for these hellraisers. Liberal South Park samples grace the songs, and there’re various other snippets of good, dirty fun for you pop culture geeks. And the hidden track (#24) is a snarling cover of Nerf Herder’s “Sorry.” There’s other stuff, too, but this is the cool shit. Get this.
(13772 Goldenwest Ave #545 Westminster, CA 92683)
