|
Life Size Citizen Fish |
|
First of all, who is this Honest Don guy and why does he have so many different names for his "recordings?" Personally I prefer his "Hardly Used" Recordings over the others, but then that's grasping at scratch marks so forget it… Citizen Fish-the name sounds, well, old, and so does their music. Not in a bad way but let's see, I'm getting this foreshadowing as the first song plays, with this Dead Boys' style sneer and the fact we're calling this go-round from Honest Don, "Olde English…" hmmm… Well either that or they're from Texas, but that's neither here nor there. This band's been at it a while, since 1990 they did their first U.S. tour-a touring machine these blokes, having first evolved from "Subhumans" status, the name, if familiar then, certainly should be. Off the wall, rough-shod and generally over the fence-first song title incidentally, Citizen Fish is prideful patronizing Punk purity with a Ska-based layer beneath the chafing exterior… Not unlike a Clash, though with hints of reggae flavor and hang loose vibe, I'm not getting an apolitical agenda to try to keep up with here, early on anyway, things are just slightly less inclinated toward a tensely tacked backdrop. So really for every one "Revolution," or "Out of Control," meant to stimulate the sociological senses, there may be three or more dropping bombs about the advent of television, "Internal Release" or "Autographs…" but so long as its understood its all done with an endearing fuck the system directive. Lead singer Dick, would that be "Citizen Dick" then-is never long without a rant and a snarl up his sleeve, a colorful and wordy coordinator, sometimes its like throwing back to the days when The Business or The 'League ran the long mile spewing sonnets bent on sneer and sarcasm, somewhat paradoxical in the lighter extreme, but never far from a serious step to the soapbox. Released by Honest Don's Olde English Recordings Review by Vinnie
Apicella [va85@columbia.edu] |