X Aspirations LP reissue
Out of press for the last decade, Dirt Cult and Green Noise have collaborated to reissue an absolute mammoth of ’70s punk, the debut album by X. This is desert island, “grab it off the shelf in a house fire” kinda shit right here. One hates to see terms like “classic” bandied about, but this is the rare instance in which the label truly applies. Story goes that these tunes were committed to tape in a nascent five-hour recording session, meant for the purpose of cutting a single. Fourteen blistering tracks later, we have one of the seminal documents of first-wave Australian punk. Aspirations goes harder than 90 percent of what passes for punk these days, and at half the tempo. Unbridled, raw, and absolutely savage, this bass-driven masterpiece laid a blueprint for many bands to follow. “Good On Ya Baby,” “Suck Suck Suck,” and “Delinquent Cars” are untouchable anthems that feature some of the most memorable vocal hooks to have ever wormed into my undeserving earholes. Wildly unhinged guitars being unsanctimoniously tortured dapple the bruising soundscape created by the rhythm section. It really doesn’t get much better than this. If you’re not familiar with the band or this record, stop reading and make that change. This is a heavyweight slab of pure punk perfection.