God these guys are great. After two 7″s and this, their second album, they’ve moved from blissed-out thrashers into a harder, less definable full bodied sound. Some of the structures here remind me an awful lot like some SST or Touch and Go band like KILLDOZER, SCRATCH ACID or DINOSAUR.
This second N.O.T.A. EP follows hard on the heels of Moscow. Four of these five songs display the band’s trademarks—tight thrash power, choice choruses, and politicized themes. The title track is a slower, melodic number in the S.L.F. mold that shows an expansion of their musical horizons, without stylistic regression. A fine release that would have had more impact if it were released earlier.
Hot shit! You thought their past records were great, well here’s 19 tracks that are rockin’, thrashin’, imaginative, and catchy. The slower songs have a catchy early ’77 pop-punk sound, and the thrash just rips. A good mix that shows that NOTA are expanding their boundaries and coming of age as a style to US hardcore.
NOT FOR SALE is sort of a garage pop outfit with punky sentiments. They have political lyrics and a certain aggressiveness, but the clean guitar sound and bouncy songs lessen their overall impact. Still, I found myself humming along and tapping my feet, especially to “Too Late to Worry.”
Yes, it’s the same HERB ALPERT song that your mom and dad listened to, but these Austin garage pups mix it up a little bit more for a pleasurable trip down the muzak/noise road. Flips does a double-take on the so-called “New Sincerity” movement in Austin. Maybe this is the Austin band to watch.
I like this group a whole lot and I think they’ve got some great sounds with them, and that’s why I’m just a little disappointed with this debut LP. They really thrash out here with some cool ideas, but there just aren’t enough great ideas and it suffers a sameness throughout. A good record, but not a great one.
More high-powered thrash from the OFFENDERS. This time, they’ve managed to capture an incredible guitar sound, one that reminds me of HÜSKER DÜ’s. “I Hate Myself” just careens right along, whereas “Bad Times” has a slow, lengthy, half-spoken intro. Ace.
Definitely the LP that should bring the OFFENDERS to the forefront. Strong and vibrant with a force that dominates each track as the music sharply drives a fast pace with rapid vocal spittings. At first listen, comparisons lead toward MDC and SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, but the OFFENDERS strike with some well-polished qualities that bring the potential way up. If you liked the first two releases, this one melts them to the ground.
This has a weird, dense, churning sound that compares with NO TREND and FLIPPER. The singer keeps the band from sounding like a bunch of whiners with his bewildered style. Noisy and fun.
SCRATCH ACID shed some of their BIRTHDAY PARTY influences on this LP, which contains an assortment of powerful, gritty rockers mixed in with a few artier numbers. More of a rootsy rock approach is evident here, and the overall variety makes it recommendable.
