Boston Scene Report
(TKO)
by Duke Crevanator
This is the first installment of a series of mini-comps by TKO featuring four bands with two songs each. Boston is the first city to be put under the proverbial microscope, and the city comes through with a very strong effort. The bands on this CD are Suspect Device, Tommy and The Terrors, The A-Team, and Fast Actin’ Fuses.
Fast Actin’ Fuses come through with the best offerings. Their songs “Queen of Diamonds” and “Feel the Haight” are very similar to the Dwarves at their best, and that’s pretty damn good. These guys are tight as hell, but the aggro-drunken-drugged-out intentions are not lost in the production. These guys are good, and I want to hear more from them on TKO soon.
Tommy and The Terrors also contribute some great songs: “Bitter Pill” and “Out Tonight” bring them in a very close second.
The A-Team contribute some classic metal/hardcore in the vein of classic S.O.D., and for a more modern reference, Limecell. They even do a good cover of “Iron Fist” by Motörhead. That’s high praise from me, as nothing disgusts me more than the hundreds of bands that try to do a good Motörhead cover and fail miserably, but are still stupid enough to release the song. The A-Team, however, do this song the justice it deserves.
Suspect Device have the weakest offering, but that’s not because they’re bad. If I heard their two songs on their own, I’d probably praise them, but they just don’t stack up to the competition. Then again, it all depends on your likes. Suspect Device has the most “old school” Boston sound on the CD. It’s not The Real Kids or anything, but they definitely have an early ’80s punk sound that may appeal more to some than the other bands.
Either way, it’s a good idea by TKO to do this project. It’s a cheap CD to give you a taste of four bands from a specific region, and with other CDs coming soon from Sacramento, Atlanta, Richmond, and Portland… wait, Portland? I hope they mean Portland, Maine. Because if they mean Portland, Oregon, well, the only good things to come from there are Jim Goad, Rancid Vat, and Poison Idea. And all three of them paid a heavy price for living in that Politically Correct armpit of the U.S.. You hear me, TKO? Portland, MAINE!!
(3126 W. Cary St. #303 Richmond, VA 23221)
