Subsonics Good Violence LP
Wow, I don’t remember the last time I actually listened to a SUBSONICS record. I often used them as comparisons for a certain style of voodoo-ish CRAMPS and GUN CLUB worshippers. Slagging them off as just a rehash of the aforementioned bands would be a mistake, as the originality of this Atlanta band shines through very clearly on this reissued second LP. I always thought they looked reeeally cool, and I seem to recall having a little fan crush on their drummer, Buffi, in my youth. The influence of the VELVET UNDERGROUND is something I’d not heard before, with the occasional Lou Reed-ish deadpan vocal and jangly rhythmic guitar. My unfounded reasons for dismissing them as not punk enough at the time because they weren’t taped on some shitty boombox are completely unfounded, as this holds up better than some of those Rip Off Records releases. The EVERLY BROTHERS, BEACH BOYS, ELVIS, and ESQUERITA can all be heard here in some really heartfelt songwriting on tunes like “No Such Animal.” Shit, the CRAMPS pretty much just did covers anyway. Check it out, and pick up the first one while you’re at it, too.