The Honeymoon Killers

Reviews

The Honeymoon Killers Hung Far Low LP reissue

This last HONEYMOON KILLERS album originally came out in the Year Punk Broke (1991 A.D.) The KILLERS were mainstays of NYC’s downtown scum rock scene, while leaning towards the blues-punk side of the street. Two-thirds of the HONEYMOON KILLERS were of the female persuasion, which made them stand out from the rest of the unwashed masses. Even Cristina of BOSS HOG did her time in the band, but when this album emerged at the dawn of the ’90s, the HONEYMOON KILLERS were two-thirds BLUES EXPLOSION. With Russell Simins on drums and Jon Spencer on guitar and vocals, founding members Lisa Wells and Jerry Teel raised some hell one final time. You can definitely hear how Spencer and Simins’ post-modern take on trashy rock’n’roll influenced Hung Far Low’s direction, but Teel and Wells are still firmly in the driver’s seat. Listening to this album is equivalent to a Lower East Side booze crawl that doesn’t end until the sun comes up. You might not remember much about it, but you had a damn good time while it was happening. Shortly after the HONEYMOON KILLERS packed their bags for good, the BLUES EXPLOSION exploded on a national scale and Teel joined an even better band than the one he had just laid to rest—the CHROME CRANKS.

The Honeymoon Killers Love American Style LP

Hot damn, this is a great record and the best yet from this band. They surely can’t be labelled and shelved as SONIC YOUTH clones again. Raving vocals with the most fulfilling melodies and arrangements I’ve heard from them while maintaining a powerful, steady rhythmic backbeat. Eclectic post-punk at its finest.

The Honeymoon Killers Love American Style LP

Gritty post-punk, not altogether unlike the WOUNDZ, but here with a more well-established sense of mania, both musically and vocally. But there are no standout songs, nothing I particularly remember as I write this review, so I guess I didn’t like it.

The Honeymoon Killers The Honeymoon Killers LP

Another New York noise outfit in the same ballpark with SONIC YOUTH, LIVE SKULL, and HOSE. The guitars put out a fearsome wall of metallic buzzing, while intense vocals spout off above the din. Personally, I like this band more than both their peers and their mentors (FLIPPER). Headache city.

The Honeymoon Killers Uncut! Uncensored! cassette

A screeching pet rock cousin to New York’s current school of avant-noise bands. The difference here is their fondness for trashing ’50s standards. “Who Do You Love” and “Ubangi Stomp” have never been abused quite like this before. Nice packaging, too.