This collection of vinyl/outtakes from the Rhode Island garbage band might span almost ten years, but for the most part, their pedigree is irrelevant. They all sound as if they have come out of the same dirty, condemned back alley club with a rat problem and ugly people bareback fucking in the bathroom. Looking at the liner notes, that's not necessarily a metaphor but an accurate depiction. Strip away the old grease and dried jizz, however, and there's a solid set of songs amongst the filth.
It’s not surprising this level of skuzzy noise rock would come out on Load, especially considering the band hails from the same Providence streets as the label (seriously, what kind of industrial pollution leads to music like this?). Although probably more notorious for their live shows than the actual music, this odds and ends collection of tracks stands up even without the visual spectacle. The 12 tracks and two bonus on the included 3" CD are culled from the vinyl releases Times I Despise, Dairy 4 Dinner, and Why I Live, plus two compilation appearances and three unreleased tracks.
The band likes to lock into a slower, sludgy pace on a lot of the tracks, “Times I Despise” and “Super Stupid Market” both are happy to channel early No Wave muck via the distortion and noise, the latter showing their twisted sense of humor with screamed lines like “there’s too much shit in my basket!” Not highbrow, nor should it be. Sometimes full on grating noise is the recipe of the day: “Dairy 4 Dinner” and the microcassette recorded “How Little Will It Take” blur that line between scum rock and abrasive noise. Then, there’s always the short little bits like “The Biggest Shit,” which is a very accurate description for its fast, loud, sloppy and messy duration.
The two longer 10” tracks that close the disc are where some distinct variations lie. “Why I Live” has a sharper overall sound with more prominent percussion and a different sound to the guitars, while “Hit The Land” features an organ, harmonica and a saxophone, and instead of going the sleaze punk route instead alternates between free jazz and classic spy movie soundtracks, if they were played by sloppy garage band.
The first part of the 3” included is one of the new tracks, “Pass the Buck”, which is 12 minutes of overdriven sludge that goes on and on with subtle variation. The other, shorter track is a live appearance “FM 91.1” that is pure screaming, fuzz and drum pounding—no subtlety at all here.
One of the nicest things is that, even amongst all this noise, distortion and feedback, the songs have a catchy underpinning that make them quite memorable. Beneath the grime, there are definite hooks; rhythms and melodies that aren’t hard to pick up on, and make what could be a pointless racket an enjoyable listen.
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