Records of the Week: BIG CRUX EP & PORKERIA LP
This week we bring you another two-for-one Record of the Week post! These reviews, and so many more, appear in MRR #339…
BIG CRUX — Big Crux is a Big Funk EP
A total winner! The three tracks on this EP have a MINUTEMEN and BIG BOYS influence seeping out here and there, but the inspiration derived from those bands only serves as a backdrop to an otherwise unique sound. Listening to this record conjures up an image of a few musicians who totally appreciate old R&B and rock’n’roll and original punk just jamming together for hours in a musty basement. The songs are minimalistic but clean, and the killer funk bass lines are prominent but not too funky or obnoxious slap bass shit. The lyrics, occasionally in Spanish but mostly in English, are meaningful but not obvious. The guitar licks are fantastic, and they work so well because of the solid drum fills and beats holding it all together. My hands are getting tired from flipping this thing over and over again. Top ten for sure. (Iron Lung Records)
—Bob Goldie
PORKERIA — La Mierda de Siempre LP
Records this good often put me at a loss for words. I find it much easier to pick something apart than to get to the core of what makes something great. For instance, I was thinking of starting this review by describing this as straightforward Latino hardcore punk. That sounds generic right? Well essentially that’s what PORKERIA sound like, but rest assured, these well-traveled Texans are anything but boring. This is the middle ground between LOS CRUDOS and PELIGRO SOCIAL, with a little bit of Scandinavian influence tossed in for good measure. It’s fast and raging but after a couple spins every one of these fantastic little ditties will be ingrained in your brain. Most of the lyrics are vaguely political; they’re also fantastically simple and at times even a bit hopeful. “Por La Patria” and “No Te Preocupes” actually gave me fucking chills. This is the best Latino punk LP I’ve heard in a couple years; track it down at any cost. (Valle Miseria Discoz/Adelante Records — adelantediscos@gmail.com)
—Kevin Manion
