Reissue of the Week: Reatards
REATARDS — “Grown Up, Fucked Up” LPWhen this record was originally issued by Empty Records back in 1999, it felt like the REATARDS had already been around for a decade, at least (their first single is from ’97). The band seemed to jump into existence already in “mature phase,” which is the benefit of having a true maniac creative like Jay crafting your songs. It’s great to now slide back into the shitty, shitty, shitty, shitty, shitty, shitty pile of emotional bile that the best REATARDS tracks evoke, and realize the ability it confers, upon first needle drop, to discern fake punk from the real thing. It’s always going to be present on this record, the best full-length Jay Reatard ever pulled off. So, it still holds up as one of the ten best punk LPs of the decade, and the best ’90s party bummer LP I own outside of the BAD TIMES LP, and hey! Look who’s all over that fucker too. (Ryan Wells)
(Goner)
