This is a
re-issue of AOD’s second album from 1985. I remember listening to these guys
back then and enjoying them. Iit’s been a while since I last heard this,
however, so I
was curious how it would hold up. The answer is, at least to a large degree, it
holds up pretty well. When these guys are on, they play speed of light hardcore at its best.
And the vocalist doesn’t sound like he’s gargling with Drano, which is always a
big plus in my book. They’re also not so single minded that they can’t slow
things down once in a while. And how can you not like a band that writes lyrics
like, “I catch more fish than Orlando Wilson / I cast with precision” from the
song “Fishin’ Musician”? Or how about the absurd “Bugs”, a song about insects
rising up to take revenge for being stepped on? There’s some pretty bad tunes
on here as well, like “Yuppies” and “Pizza and Beer”, but overall this is one
band that I listened to in my youth that I’m not ashamed to admit to. They’re
fast, clever, and just plain fun to listen to. This disc also includes a few
bonus tracks from the ‘Humungusfungusamongus’ sessions, all covers, including a rockin’ take on the theme song from “The Jeffersons”. Good job on the
packaging, too. The CD booklet includes all the lyrics and humble, honest
comments by the band members. (Bob Ignizio)
When it comes
to raunch rock, you can pretty much split it into two camps. You’ve got your
working class, beer swilling, macho bands like The Mentors, and then you’ve got
your alternative lifestyle living, sex-positive, performance-oriented bands like
The Impotent Sea Snakes. Neither variety of shock rock is going to sit too well
with the self appointed guardians of moral decency, but the latter tends to be
less misogynistic. Apocalipstick fall into the second category, and compare
favorably with the bands at the top of this subgenre like The Genitorturers or
the aforementioned ISS. I've never seen this band live, but judging
by the pictures on their website I'd hazard a guess that image and performance
are at least as important to this band's appeal as the actual music. That
said, songwriting is of a
fairly high quality compared to Apocalipstick’s peers. The band puts its best
foot forward with the first two tracks, “Rectal Inspector” and “Lick”, both of
which are solid rockers with good hooks. I also enjoyed Track 5, "You've
Got a Problem". Of the remaining three songs, “Lolita Backwards” and
“Headache” just feel kind of bland to me, and I found “Whoop Ti Doo!” painful to
listen to. Still, that’s three solid tunes, two that are ok, and only one that
I outright hated, so not too shabby. For more info, visit the band’s website at
http://www.apocalipstick.us. (Bob Ignizio)
Noam Chomsky – ‘The Emerging
Framework of World Power’ (Alternative Tentacles)
This is something like the 100th CD of spoken
word material from noted social critic Noam Chomsky. For those unfamiliar with
Mr. Chomsky, an MIT professor turned social activist, let’s just say he isn’t
very happy with the way things are going in the world. In his opinion, the main
reason for this is because big corporations have more or less taken over the
governments of the world by purchasing influence. This is of course a gross
simplification of things, but it will do. It’s also a sentiment I imagine a
fair number of people share. So what’s new and different on this disc from what
Mr. Chomsky has covered in the past? Well, this deals quite a bit with the
events of September 11th and how they relate to our own governments
Middle East policy and history of sponsoring coups and revolutions in other
countries for the purpose of getting more receptive regimes into power. Mr.
Chomsky is a somewhat dry speaker (although he does manage to crack one or two
little jokes) but he makes his case in a clear and focused manner. Even if you
don’t agree with everything he has to say, it’s hard to dispute that his points
are based on careful analysis of the facts; there’s no lunatic fringe conspiracy
theorizing here. Whether or not all the conclusions Chomsky makes from his
analysis are correct is a fair subject for debate, but if you care at all about
the future of this country and the world, it wouldn’t hurt to at least hear what
he has to say. If nothing else, it will get you thinking. (Bob Ignizio)
Well, this is probably more Russ Romance’s cup of tea than
mine. Essentially we’ve got nine tracks of punk with tasteless lyrics. You can
pretty much tell what you’re in for from song titles like “Stinky Pinky” and “Pooptart”,
and the fact that these guys chose to cover a song by The Child Molesters called
“13” about (what else) pedophilia. I’m guessing these guys aren’t much past the
age of consent themselves, as the whole affair has the feel of juvenile locker
room humor filtered through the talents of a high school garage band. Lest you
think I’m completely dismissing this disc, I will say that some of the lyrics
are clever for this kind of thing. The music doesn’t exactly break new ground,
but it rocks decently enough and keeps things interesting with occasional
diversions into reggae, rap, and surf. Production-wise this sounds like a
demo. The drums have that flat, carboard-box sound to them and the levels are
pretty low. If you enjoy The Mentors, G.G. Allin, and the like, you may want
to check this out. You can order a copy for $3.00 postage paid by sending your
cash to: FNASC; 7519 Ridgefield; Parma, OH 44129. (Bob Ignizio)
This is a
re-issue of AOD’s second album from 1985. I remember listening to these guys
back then and enjoying them. Iit’s been a while since I last heard this,
however, so I
was curious how it would hold up. The answer is, at least to a large degree, it
holds up pretty well. When these guys are on, they play speed of light hardcore at its best.
And the vocalist doesn’t sound like he’s gargling with Drano, which is always a
big plus in my book. They’re also not so single minded that they can’t slow
things down once in a while. And how can you not like a band that writes lyrics
like, “I catch more fish than Orlando Wilson / I cast with precision” from the
song “Fishin’ Musician”? Or how about the absurd “Bugs”, a song about insects
rising up to take revenge for being stepped on? There’s some pretty bad tunes
on here as well, like “Yuppies” and “Pizza and Beer”, but overall this is one
band that I listened to in my youth that I’m not ashamed to admit to. They’re
fast, clever, and just plain fun to listen to. This disc also includes a few
bonus tracks from the ‘Humungusfungusamongus’ sessions, all covers, including a rockin’ take on the theme song from “The Jeffersons”. Good job on the
packaging, too. The CD booklet includes all the lyrics and humble, honest
comments by the band members. (Bob Ignizio)
When it comes
to raunch rock, you can pretty much split it into two camps. You’ve got your
working class, beer swilling, macho bands like The Mentors, and then you’ve got
your alternative lifestyle living, sex-positive, performance-oriented bands like
The Impotent Sea Snakes. Neither variety of shock rock is going to sit too well
with the self appointed guardians of moral decency, but the latter tends to be
less misogynistic. Apocalipstick fall into the second category, and compare
favorably with the bands at the top of this subgenre like The Genitorturers or
the aforementioned ISS. I've never seen this band live, but judging
by the pictures on their website I'd hazard a guess that image and performance
are at least as important to this band's appeal as the actual music. That
said, songwriting is of a
fairly high quality compared to Apocalipstick’s peers. The band puts its best
foot forward with the first two tracks, “Rectal Inspector” and “Lick”, both of
which are solid rockers with good hooks. I also enjoyed Track 5, "You've
Got a Problem". Of the remaining three songs, “Lolita Backwards” and
“Headache” just feel kind of bland to me, and I found “Whoop Ti Doo!” painful to
listen to. Still, that’s three solid tunes, two that are ok, and only one that
I outright hated, so not too shabby. For more info, visit the band’s website at
This is something like the 100th CD of spoken
word material from noted social critic Noam Chomsky. For those unfamiliar with
Mr. Chomsky, an MIT professor turned social activist, let’s just say he isn’t
very happy with the way things are going in the world. In his opinion, the main
reason for this is because big corporations have more or less taken over the
governments of the world by purchasing influence. This is of course a gross
simplification of things, but it will do. It’s also a sentiment I imagine a
fair number of people share. So what’s new and different on this disc from what
Mr. Chomsky has covered in the past? Well, this deals quite a bit with the
events of September 11th and how they relate to our own governments
Middle East policy and history of sponsoring coups and revolutions in other
countries for the purpose of getting more receptive regimes into power. Mr.
Chomsky is a somewhat dry speaker (although he does manage to crack one or two
little jokes) but he makes his case in a clear and focused manner. Even if you
don’t agree with everything he has to say, it’s hard to dispute that his points
are based on careful analysis of the facts; there’s no lunatic fringe conspiracy
theorizing here. Whether or not all the conclusions Chomsky makes from his
analysis are correct is a fair subject for debate, but if you care at all about
the future of this country and the world, it wouldn’t hurt to at least hear what
he has to say. If nothing else, it will get you thinking. (Bob Ignizio)
Well, this is probably more Russ Romance’s cup of tea than
mine. Essentially we’ve got nine tracks of punk with tasteless lyrics. You can
pretty much tell what you’re in for from song titles like “Stinky Pinky” and “Pooptart”,
and the fact that these guys chose to cover a song by The Child Molesters called
“13” about (what else) pedophilia. I’m guessing these guys aren’t much past the
age of consent themselves, as the whole affair has the feel of juvenile locker
room humor filtered through the talents of a high school garage band. Lest you
think I’m completely dismissing this disc, I will say that some of the lyrics
are clever for this kind of thing. The music doesn’t exactly break new ground,
but it rocks decently enough and keeps things interesting with occasional
diversions into reggae, rap, and surf. Production-wise this sounds like a
demo. The drums have that flat, carboard-box sound to them and the levels are
pretty low. If you enjoy The Mentors, G.G. Allin, and the like, you may want
to check this out. You can order a copy for $3.00 postage paid by sending your
cash to: FNASC; 7519 Ridgefield; Parma, OH 44129. (Bob Ignizio)