Deef Real Control LP
Real Control is DEEF’s second individual release, originally put out on tape in 1984. They started as teenagers, a time when within a short period, significant changes can happen within your taste of music. Luckily, they did not approach songwriting drastically differently. It is still aggressive, exciting punk, in its most raw and primitive way without being overly noisy or filthy. Again, it’s speed that introduces most of the vehemence, but intensity is present in slower jams such as “We Kill All Punk Rock Heroes.” The same info sheet that is included for the Nou reissue is also present here, mentioning DEEF’s isolation. Sonically, this makes them rootless in the sense that it’s so visceral that sometimes it sounds as if they have only read about hardcore punk and tried to reproduce it from imagination, not that it is so out-of-place or sort of avant garde, and it’s rarely reusing lifted gimmicks from other classic records. This is why these reissues are relevant and still sound fresh, because the music on them, even if heard many times, remains new because teenagers made it without having a clue or caring too much about whatever things current bands consider when playing music. The bass sound is more meaty; the distortion has been turned up on the guitars yet they are at the back of the mix, so you have to pay attention to get the real noise-punk element. I like the mid-tempo evil songs and the overdriven vocals, but it is still very rock’n’roll. It’s not only an interesting artifact from an old scene, but this record would be a hit even today. The goal of today’s bands would be to make something this fresh after having heard this record, too. The LP includes an info sheet, a photo booklet of the era, a postcard, and a sticker. One of the great second acts of hardcore punk is the possibility that decades after your existence, maniacs like General Speech could re-release your stuff.