I Killed Punk Rock
(Bouncing Betty)
by Ewan Wadharmi
Former Ransom member and serial blogger Mikey Von Ransom shows his off his vinyl collection highlighted by Turbo A.C.’s, Lower Class Brats, Clit 45, and The Sleazies. Hardened, if relatively standard street anthems from Much The Same and 46 Short. Live tunes from Fang, Shot Baker, and Naked Aggression are mixed in, but mixed too low among vicious Misfitisms from The Infected and The Hollowpoints and Bang Sugar Bang‘s epic Queen as punk smartassery.
Total Chaos, the hardest working bland in punk, gives “Voices of the Street” from 1996, a typically lackluster performance with bored vocals and guitar solo befitting Huey Lewis. The Migraines, who get naming rights, have an unusual mild-yet-manly vocal delivery as they rip on bandwagon jumpers, crusties, and posers. The Pink Lincolns drive mama to drinkin’ with searing guitar work and unlawful velocity. Faux British and fedoras, The Scarred‘s got ’em. And The Independents have mild ska and soaring Danzig arrangements. Darkbuster‘s still rousing rabble with “I Hate The Unseen.” Not a bad collection, overall, but I’d expected a stronger showing.
So, like Mike Huckabee, pop punk comes out the unexpected winner, with fewer presses of the skip button and a wider range of quality artists. I sure didn’t see that coming.
(www.bouncingbettyrecords.com)