River City Rapists

Love Hurts (Junk)
by Jon Sarre

I’m thinkin’ ex-Butthole Surfer Jeff Pinkus’ soundboardwork takes away a bit from the ruckus these traffickers of bad taste are probably capable of scarin’ you outta yer wits with when raised onstage amongst a barrage of beer bottles and lit cigarettes. The songs here just seem sorta disconnected, like maybe River City Rapists‘ two guitarists were recorded playing the same exact thing in two different rooms on opposite wings of a Motel 6 across the street from the studio where everyone else was (I dunno, maybe they were). A Mike Mariconda-everything-up-but-at-completely-random-intervals over-the-top deal woulda probably made for a more enjoyable “listening experience,” if only for the “I feel as drunk as the band” woozy feeling.

Still, River City Rapists’ full-bore hatefuck mumbles go straight-up lowest common denominator crotch starin’/scratchin’/grabbin’. This is cock rock punk whether ya want it or not, it’s forced on yer earlobes and if RCR’s original compositions (six, count ’em: “Go Down On Me,” “Abuse,” “I Never Sleep,” “Asshole,” “Hatred as a Way of Life,” “Fucked Again,” plus a cover of the Miscreants’ “Fix”) don’t make ya feel unclean, they’re leering, droolin’ hand-in-raincoat take on AC/DC’s “Let There Be Rock” is right up yer… uh… alley, you sick fuck.
(PO Box 1474 Cypress, CA 90630)