Teenie boppers hoping for the next No Doubt best look elsewhere. Singer Jenna Tyrade has no Madonna leanings whatsoever. Her explosive spewing lingers on nauseousness, savoring the bile in the back of the throat before erupting in a wonderfully messy hurl.
There is something inherently stirring about that Billie Joe (of Green Day) virile slacker-collegiate sound certain singer boys seem to have, and Pensive has it.
The guitars punch like a Leatherman, and the thematic horns are pure Quinn-Martin production. The lyrics are devoid of humor, save one Brady Bunch reference that slips through.
The real reason to get this reissued classic is the buncha speedy rockers that woulda put’m on bills with DMZ, Smack, The Fluid, The Lazy Cowgirls, Electric Frankenstein, or The Hives.
Virus Nine has a very early Rancid/OP Ivy sound, and excellent songwriting. Two sweet covers, “Bound for Glory” by Woody Guthrie, and “Friends in Low Places.”
The self-imposed label of “queer punk” is a little shaky. Total Entertainment! is about as punk as The Go-Gos were. Still, the guys have come far as songwriters.