Record of the Week: STAR FUCKING HIPSTERS LP
STAR FUCKING HIPSTERS — From the Dumpster to the Grave LP
Let the punk police come and take me away, let them strap me into a straightjacket and gag me on the way out the door, but I will still say that this record is fukkn great. I know it’s been long out of vogue to like ska punk, and NOFX has been passé for even longer, but my facial hair has been out of vogue for longer than most taste makers have had a turntable, so fuck em. I mention NOFX not just because Fat Wreck is responsible for this release, but because STAR FUCKING HIPSTERS have taken the ska/punk hybrid that frontman Sturgeon perfected with his previous bands CHOKING VICTIM and LEFTOVER CRACK and injected into it the high energy ultra catchy hardcore punk that Fat Mike has been slinging for a couple of decades. It works. Rarely do the hours poured into a record make them so evident as they do on this release, but when From the Dumpster veers off on over instrumentalized tangents it never seems trite—it just seems right. This record is nothing if not sincere, and every musical excursion is obviously a path taken by true fans that have become masters at their craft. Brilliant vocal trade-offs dominate many songs, with Nico’s vocals taking a confident lead, and the occasional (but dominant) ska parts are accented by subtly sparse and brilliant keys and horns. If you want cred, then check out this (partial) list of band members and contributors: DEGENERICS, ERGS, NEUROSIS, the COUP, GR’UPS, CONQUEST FOR DEATH, DYSTOPIA, DEADFALL, SOVIETTES…you still need more? Well, then no list would win you over anyway. This is excellent… you might not like it, that decision is purely yours. But awesomeness is a fact. (Fat Wreck Chords)
