Carnage Asada Head on a Platter CD
First album since 1999 from this Los Angeles band, which has included L.A. punk luminaries like Joe Baiza, filmmaker Dave Markey, and Dez Cadena. The current lineup mixes wah-heavy psych rock, heavy blues jams, and the mostly-spoken observational storytelling of vocalist George Murillo. Songs like “Germs Reborn” have an early L.A. hardcore speed and approach, but most of these tracks are jammy affairs with occasional trumpet backup and even Norteño rhythms. Despite the hardcore pedigree and my unwavering love of most eras of the SST catalog that seems to most influence CARNAGE ASADA, this was a miss for me. “Chinese Lady Aluminum Foil” tells a story about a woman wearing an aluminum foil hat to prevent Martian mind control. And while the song is somewhat sympathetic to her (“Never hurt nobody / Always looks so lonely”), I assume this is about a real person who may have mental health issues. At best, it seems callous. Then we get “Little Fat Princess,” another observational tale of a child throwing a tantrum, with the lines, “Little fat princess / Stomping your feet / Little fat princess / Give me something to eat.” I mean, it’s a kid, and the chorus repeats the title quite a few times. It just sounds out of touch, and both mentioned songs ride a very fine line between describing daily life occurrences and punching down. The musicianship is top-notch and the stylistic diversity is interesting, but it’s not a repeat listen for me.