(Junk)
by Jon Sarre
I don’t think subtlety is much of a virtue over at Junk Records World Headquarters. Nah, naked obviousness is probably more like it, thus Goin’ After Pussy, they oughtta copyright it and print it on stationery or somethin’. Near as I can figure, this Katon DePena character, the Al Goldstein of the indie record industry don’t ya know, committed what can be succinctly described as “a large portion of his back catalogue” to shiny CD format for the purpose of alerting the general public to the scope of the sleazy punk royalty on his label (to further entice you to give him more money, natch). An oft-used concept to be sure, but a good idea, nonetheless.
Bonafide aces of rockdom who let DePena pimp their product like Electric Frankenstein, Zeke, The Candy Snatchers (maybe stars-in-waiting), and The Humpers do good stuff like they always do. If ya don’t know The Bulemics (from Texas some place), ya should, “If I Only Had a Heart” is Johnny Thunders shootin’ up Judy Garland (or somethin’ equally improbable). Manic Hispanic‘s “Mommy’s Little Cholo” does for the working class Mexperience what Social Distortion’s eerily similar song did for the working class white trash cultural whatchamacallit (that’s to say they essentially cover one of Mike Ness’ more palatable compositions).
The Slobs and The Dragons, rock out, dude, the former soundin’ slovenly like their name, the latter invokin’ spiffy mid-’70s punkriffage. Boston’s Dimestore Halos emerge from a first-generation UK punk timewarp (hairdos intact? Let’s hope not!) to let us in on “Hate My Generation.” Portland OR’s New Wave Hookers breeze through one of their finest big-on-balls, short-on-brains mini-epics, “Stone Age Romeo,” whilst fellow Oregonites The Weaklings showcase the sound that drives ’em to hurt themselves on stage.
Cheeseheads Boris The Sprinkler share their plan to boost the sales of Ramones records nationwide (“Kill the Ramones”) and more bands do even more stuff (cuz there’s even more!). Yes, finally! 41 fuckin’ cool-ass dumb-ass anthems by a buncha bands who need yer money, goddamn it!
(PO Box 1474 Cypress, CA 90630)