(GI)

(Album To Listen List #1)

This isn't punk, at lest not anymore.

I KNOW THAT'S A BIG CLAIM, BUT HEAR ME OUT!!!!

Look, I love punk as much as the next guy, with the music paving potencial for biting, destructive songwriting with almost revolutionary lyrics and harsh, intentionally under proudced and straight to the point, no fluffing around, all while fighting against the norm of a modern society revolting against fast drums and even faster guitars. That to me is what classic punk was. That's what made punk so...well, punk. It's a sound that you hear and think, 'Oh, this is totally punk.'.

But mabybe that's not a good thing.

This deffinetly has that same bite and flair as something like Dead Kennedys, Bad Religion, Descendents or Misfits, and it has all the essencial elements of classic punk, but I don't think the problem with me not really loving this album is a more deep rooted bordem of what is conventionally punk. You know what? I'm gonna go off! Yes, i'm gonna go on a tryad! Fuck it!

When I say i'm bored of conventional punk rock, i'm not saying that my/your favorite punk acts from the past are inherintly boring or dated, because it's hard to be bored by something so fast, relentless and angry. I'm meaning the same old same old sound that comes rooted from these punk records. To me, punk rock is all about fighting against norms, doing things your own way and being different, experimenting, changing things up, creating interesting musical ideas that would innovate as well as destroy. Punk rock should be rock music played at it's most intense and chaotic. For this reason alone I would consider Daughters one of the most succsesfull punk bands of the last century. But, with many bands trying this 'classic punk' hat on for size, this usually creates a same ideal: 'If its loud, fast and messy, then it's punk, even without a message or an attempt at looking into the future'. I've heard heaps of bands trying to be punk, but just end up being bland and exactly what I thought they were gonna be. It's not truly punk if it's perdictable.

And that's where this album comes in. Based on the time period this album came out (1979 motherfuckers!), this album most likely was one of the bands that were genuinly attempting something truly 'fight the power' punk with its snarling biting lyricical themes and fast instrumentaiton, because at that time, it wasn't heard of for such intense and in your face instrumentation to be captured in this way, so I have to give this album some historical importance, because then my entire point would be mute. I mean, look at the 10 minute closer to this album alone. That's exactly what i'm talking about when I mean PUNK. However, this type of sound isn't truly punk anymore, because what makes Punk Punk is the unpredictability and pure creative expression, contained into a ball of artistic expression that cannot be matched. And if you go into a album expecting exactly what your gonna get (which I did for this album), then is that really punk?

The modern age, at lest when i'm writing this (2019 motherfuckers!), is filled to the brim with punk artists. Even though they aren't immeditatly punk, there are acts that still drive that artistic vision in every genre to deliver a important message through their own unique blend of musicial influences. Hell, it's no longer rock that's leading the way for punk revolutinon anymore: it's hip hop. Think about it, have you heard anything more punk in the past centruy then JPEGMAFIA, Death Grips, Lil Simz, Brockhampton, Denzel Curry (who has literally coverd punk tracks before), Injury Reserve, slowthai, Tyler, The Creator, Clipping? Those, no matter what stick you shake at it, is punk. Even up and coming punk rock acts like Idles and Show Me The Body are looking at these hip-hop artists on how to make punk more punk! Even electronic music is trying to get Punk, with acts like SOPHIE, Machine Girl or Shygirl trying all the bells and whistles, all while providing a message and punch behind it all.

Hell, one of the leading identities in punk right now (and I know your gonna laugh, but here me out)...is meme rap.

That's a loaded statment I know, but think of it this way. What was original punk bands doing? They were trying to be as abrasive as possible to catch the attention of the general public for the world to go 'what the fuck is this?' and hopefully to learn or dismantle or cause a dizzy in something, even if they didn't know what to scream about. Keep this in mind, and now look at a 'Pink Guy' or a '100 Gecs' or a 'Big Baller B' or even the most lower common denominator meme rap acts like 'Lil Pump' or 'Ryan Benis' (GOOF EP COMING AUGUST 30th). They are all screaming, yelling, clipping and distorted as hell, in order to be as abrasive, weird, unintellegable or downright odd as possible to catch the attention of the general public for the world to say 'what in gods name is this?' and hopefully dismantle, destroy or cause mayhem in something, even if we aren't aware of it, using comedy as a mean for the message. And it's fucking easy to create clipping chaos if you truly want to.

...OK, So with all that said, is this album good or not? Well, in some regards, yes. It's not an offencive record that's for sure. It's well played, intense and in your face for sure, and for it's time of 1979, this would have fucking been a riot of an album, and would have felt genuinly dangerous to listen to, let alone own. It's well produced, well written and well played, so my low score isn't because this thing is straight up awful. My low score is me looking at this with modern eyes, honestly, i'm really bored of this being the face of punk, because it's EXACTLY what you think of when you think punk.

Don't get me wrong: This album shouldn't be de-throned from it's punk legacy, because doing that is erasing history. What should change however is peoples ideals that this sound is the only 'punk' that should exist. This punk has become another product to sell to people who want to rebel but are too comfortable living in their subberb town, but will gladly chuck on a Blink 182 shirt and say that they are 'fighting the govermnemt' when really it's just the same coat of pop paint on a slightly faster horse. What is happening now is that punk is being out-punked by what i'm now refering to as 'Nu-Punk': we need to look ahead at what influences punk can bring us, instead of using an outdated playbook of how to fight against the norms.

Plus, Lexicon Devil is a jam.

Favorite Jams: Lexicon Devil, We Must Bleed, Shut Down (Annihilation Man)

Lest Favorite: Communist Eyes