Wreck of Old '98 "s/t" LP
[SuperFi]
I don't know much about this apparently defunct UK trio, but apparently they only existed for a very short time and weren't terribly productive in terms of recorded output. On this LP they crank out 11 short tracks one after another with no breathing room, jumping from quirky indie rock with angular riffing and laidback clean guitars to jangly punk rock that wavers in terms of distortion, often sounding similar to the DC sort of post-hardcore sound on some level (you know, think Dischord, but with a somehow lighthearted musical sensibility) - all of this with vocals that are all over the map from dry singing, to shouting, to yelling, etc. The label has cited a potential list of comparable influences including Shoutbus, Assfactor 4, End of the Century Party, and Reactionary 3, all of whom I'm only mildly familiar with at best and have no real interest in, so perhaps that explains why, despite a few solid tunes, this isn't something that really knocks my socks off here. (Black Flag was also cited, among others, but I disagree with that suggestion since the end result has little or nothing in common with such classics.) Expect a pretty jumpy listening experience that plows straight on through in a flash: "Microscope Generation" is more straightforward and catchy in an indie/punk rock fashion; "My Friends Are My Heroes" drops some unexpected clean arpeggios that provide a nice sense of melody to an otherwise schizophrenic track that builds back and forth kind of all over the place; "Books and Zines" gets a little faster and more energetic at times; while "Statistics as Weapons" efficiently blends jarring chords with excellent melodic sensibilities and great vocal harmonies that I would've loved to have heard more of throughout the LP. The sound quality is fine, I'll say that. The rhythm section sounds great, the vocals are aptly dry, and the guitars sound about right for this particular style. There's room for tweaking here and there, but I honestly think it all pieces together in a way that makes sense for what the band is doing, so I don't really have any suggestions or what have you. The record comes in a bright yellow sleeve with minimal illustrations, and inside is a sizeable xeroxed booklet with lyrics, insights on the content, and other such inclusions such as... instructions on how to build a bed!? Go figure. The booklet has a major D.I.Y. aesthetic to it, and that also ties into the lyrics, which occasionally hit on the fun loving/lighthearted elements of the music, but are generally serious in terms of overall communication (and often of the socio-political persuasion): "Ours is a world of conscience stricken cool hunters, Laboratory animals, we know nothing about ourselves except what we observe when we're being vivisected, Throwing ourselves against what they're selling, Personally betrayed by the way things are going..." Overall I can definitely appreciate a handful of these songs, and though the big picture just isn't for me, I know there are people out there who would really dig this stuff. I imagine this band could've been looked upon as somewhat of a criminally short-lived legend had this LP come out in the late-90's when the super D.I.Y. politically correct indie/punk stuff was really quite "big" in its various circles, so... folks who are/were into that kind of thing should search this one out. "Statistics as Weapons" is by far the best track herein. Had the entire record been at that level I'd be all over it. I have to admit, though, that I have no clue why they released this as an LP rather than a 10", because the damn thing's only a few minutes longer than a maxed out 7" EP!? (6/10)
Running time - 17:00 (approximately), Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: Microscope Generation, Books and Zines, Statistics as Weapons]
SuperFi Records - http://www.superfirecords.co.uk

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