Flying in the face of the anti-political, anti-peace reaction, ANTI fearlessly display a peace sign and a V-symbol on the cover of their second album. The lyrics continue the counterattack, meshing both general and personal politics to form an intelligent complement for their attack. The sound here is more refined and harmonic than that on their last outing, sort of like early CHANNEL 3.
This selection of material, recorded between 1982 and ’83, both reveals ANTI’s strong points and suggests areas for improvement. The upbeat compositions (like “We Will Die”) and the short thrashers seem to burst with energy, while others (like “Media Scam” and “Backfire Bomber”) seem lethargic and just sort of sit there. A decent, though inconsistent release.
There’s nothing exceptional musically here—just OK thrash. The lyrics, unless intended as satire, have a naive quality that evokes ’60s optimism. I don’t know, maybe I’m getting jaded.
The other side of Gary (from ANTI and MOOD OF DEFIANCE) emerges in this classical experimental “music.” Actually, only one “piece” approaches music, as the rest consists mainly of tape loops, extended notes, and noise. So drop that ol’ LSD, have that thorazine near at hand, and venture out into the stratosphere.
Two people from thrash band ANTI combine with two others to produce a more experimental effort. It’s a 50/50 proposition. Some of it sounds like the earlier LA punk sound with its classic female vocals; other songs are in a post-punk or arty vein. Good change of pace.
Hmmm. Early LA-style art damage meets jazz-pop meets death rock, with a dash of thrash thrown in. Happy Squid label fans will be happy, as will THROBBING GRISTLE fans. FALL fans might. I’m not too excited.
Another great compilation out of Los Angeles. Side one brings us the hard-edged side of some current SoCal bands, with RED CROSS and the DESCENDENTS leading the way. Side two has a lot of different styles with new tracks by the MINUTEMEN, 100 FLOWERS, SACCHARINE TRUST, PLEIBS, and an old URINALS gem dug out of the vaults, a track that makes Jumpin’ Jeff shed a tear for the old band. This is one to pick up.
An excellent follow-up to the Life is Ugly… LP. I like all of the punk side, which begins with a great old BAGS cut, and continues with ANTI, SHATTERED FAITH, CHINA WHITE, M.I.A. (not the group on the Last Rites LP), ILL WILL, and a live GERMS track. The B-side contains some experimental stuff by Gary Kail, as well as the B PEOPLE, VOX POP, the MINUTEMEN, and POWERTRIP. Good variation.
The third in the Life Is series. This one’s got two live GERMS classics to its credit, plus neat stuff by the MINUTEMEN, MODERN WARFARE, ANTI, MOOD OF DEFIANCE, HARI KARI, SIN 34, ARTISTIC DECLINE, and MODERN TORTURE. REDD KROSS disappoint with their “metal” number, and SHATTERED FAITH is so-so. Then there are nine more bands that get into electronics, folk, jazz, etc., for the adventurous.
