Give ‘Em the Boot II

(Hellcat)
by Scott Hefflon

You don’t have to be a genius to see yer gettin’ a lot for yer $5 here. As Dropkick Murphys claim with their opening track, “The Gang’s All Here.” And from there, there’s over an hour’s worth of punk, Oi!, rocksteady, reggae, and hardcore. And for those who groan at the mere mention of a genre (and we all groan at at least one, don’t we? This period in history will forever be known for its tendency to milk each genre one at a time, leaving a dry-heaving aftertaste in its wake), Hellcat has such good taste, even genres you openly despise you may find surprisingly listenable. And that’s saying a lot! Another push-over-the-line are the bands yer unfamiliar with (and there are a few here) that end up winning you over. As opposed to the typical comp of big names to inspire ya to buy it, and then a lot of shitty bands that the compiler is friends with (and the little shits are the reason the comp was put together in the first place, go figure), Give ‘Em the Boot II has big names and unreleased tracks (Rancid, Hepcat, and Joe Strummer, for y’all into such things), yet it’s the smaller bands that’re the real treat. Whatever yer pick of genre, there’s something here to make you sit up and take notice. And seeing as there’s plenty of “old reliables” to make this sucker worth the $5, do yerself a favor and pick this up. Bands who drop the second boot: Tiger Army, The Pietasters, Mad Lion, US Bombs, The Gadjits, The Distillers, Buju Banton, David Hillard Rocksteady 7, Buccaneer, The Slackers, Choking Victim, F-Minus, Leftover Crack, Mouthwash, INDK, and Vanity 5.
(www.hell-cat.com)