Discount

Love, Billy (Fueled By Ramen)
by Scott Hefflon

A five-song, 15-minute EP by a beloved female-fronted band covering Billy Bragg classics. Sound cool? In theory, yeah, but this EP didn’t need to be done. While I appreciate Discount bringing Bragg’s amazing, revolutionary folk songwriting to punk kids who may never’ve heard of him (what, do you live under a rock!?! With a guitar and his voice, the man sends shivers by spinning tales of misfortune and injustice. Get everything prior to him getting a drummer and forming a “band.”), Discount just really isn’t all that good. I hear gasps, but yelping female vocals have been done way better, and their songwriting fails to distinguish them from the hordes of pretty decent punk bands. And yet people worship them. Whatever. For what it’s worth, Love, Billy has inspired me to tape my Billy Bragg records yet again (the tapes keep wearing out, understand?) and put them on continuous repeat. If you don’t own his stuff, you should.
(PO Box 12563 Gainesville, FL 32604)