Tankcrimes
2011
Writing short songs is fine with me as long as the band accomplished something during that time. So usually I think of short songs as causing a band to have to focus to accomplish something without much time. However if a song two or two and half minutes and I am bored well before the end of that time then somethings is wrong. That's the feeling I got on this 7" from Kicker. They are punk band from Oakland, California featuring frontman Pete “The Roadie”. Pete has been a punk since working as a roadie for bands for the past 30 years including Subhumans and Amebix. This is his first band and he is on vocals being backed by ex-members of Neurosis, Dystopia, and Filth. This is primitive punk rock with a bare bones feel which is fine, but on the title track and "Wrong things" they were extremely clunky almost clumsy. It sounded like guys were out drinking and stumbled upon some instruments and said "hey, let's record something". Any energy or emotion just seems wiped out by a lack of direction. It was painful just to get through those two tracks. Now the third track "Two Hats" is quite a bit better. It reminds me of The Exploited's early stuff with thudding drums and some actual drive behind it. Not perfect, but good. However it wasn't nearly enough to make up for the other two tracks. They need a lot of work.
Two of the best in-and-out short song bands I can think of who really deliver a hard-edge punk impact are It's Casual and 400 Blows. Both know how to strike fast and make you feel it. 400 Blows is particularly amazing live. One lead singer, one drummer with a stripped snare-bass-hi hat and crash, and one guy with a combo bass and guitar. All moving on flashpoint.
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