Richard Allsop is the editor of Punk
Or Nothing webzine from Nottingham, England.
Make
Do and Mend – ‘Bodies Of Water’
(Panic)
My first reaction to Make Do and Mend was
nothing short of inimical. Re-visiting for
the first time garnered a shrug of the shoulders.
Upon re-visiting for the second time, something
about the six-song EP ‘Bodies Of Water’
developed a vague appreciation for this melodic
quartet from Connecticut. Nothing about Make
Do and Mend’s strident yet melodic musical
meme differentiates them much from others
in their ilk, but when the mood suits they
are a decent alternative. Also, at moments
when heart strings can be pulled, they certainly
will be: “I don’t believe the
clouds are hiding much more than a reason
to downpour.”
--
Vilipend – Love Left To Rot (myspace.com/vilipendmusic)
So, what are they peddling this under, I
wonder… Hardcore? Grindcore? Dirgecore?
Probably metal. Well, whichever tag is thrown
around Vilipend’s proverbial collar,
I think I’d rather re-visit the odious
Plutocracy than this horrendous cacophony.
At least their songs aren’t as long.
One
Short Fall – ‘Nothing Left To
Say’ (Kid Tested)
Following the arrival of The Parasites’
tremendous new long player on Kid Tested Records
is One Short Fall’s almost on-par new
installment, a debut album entitled
Nothing
Left To Say. Upon first glance at One Short
Fall’s choice of titling and album graphology,
I assumed the worst – and by worst, I
imagined run-of-the-mill, sanitized punk-pop.
However, as the old idiom dictates, never judge
a book by its cover. A covert gem, Nothing Left’
is an overview account of one band’s adeptness
at taking half a dozen varied styles and installing
their own Descendents/ALL-esque stridency into
each. Primarily a pop-based outfit, One Short
Fall could easily provide the perfect punk rock
party soundtrack, donning the structures of
ska, surf, New York snot, micro ballad and momentary
acoustic sweetness while maintaining their seemingly
innate frenetic tendencies throughout.
Psyched
To Die – "Sterile Walls" 7-inch
EP (Firestarter)
BE WARNED, Ergs fans, I’m just about
to surpass my own audacity by expressing the
following sentiment: I’m glad they are
over with. Why? Well, the justification for
this unashamed sacrilege (that will probably
result in regret, denigration and possibly
even violence) can be summed up in three simple
monosyllables: Psyched To Die. True to title,
‘Sterile Walls’ is a ten-minute
(or so) tortured gaze towards the garishly
painted corner of psychosis which plagues
humanity’s collective conscience day
after day. There aren’t nearly enough
twists and turns in this debut release to
be overly elaborate on Psyched To Die’s
definite musical virtues at this primitive
point of their history, but I will admit to
one certainty - every nuance of these seven
angst plastered nuggets of kiddy hardcore
delivers all there is to be excited about
for their future output.
Punk
Or Nothing - by Richard Allsop
