REVIEWS
GIMME THE
KEYS - Compilation LP
L.A. ROCK REVIEW (August 26th, 1988, Dirk Hanna)
A mighty black disc rises over the eastern Santa Monica Mountains. Instead
of warmth it emits a powerful sonic assault and instead of light it shines
raw anger tempered with a wry sense of humor. This disc is the mighty
"Gimme the Keys" compilation. The colorful cover painting by those
twisted old Flaming Lips themselves claim boldly that these are seven driving
bands from L.A. After slapping this vinyl slab on the turn-table I
must admit that the painting of spray-painted torture and confusion on the
cover speaks the god's honest truth. Walls of white hot guitar run
through the fabled millstone of punk purity and come out all the rougher
for it. The blast furnace blues intensity of Lexington, the J. Thunders
purity of the Thirsty Brats, nuclear literary assault from Crawlspace, rockin'
commands for Fearless Leader, the ripping might of Claw Hammer, the power
humor crunch of Moist and Meaty. And finally the bizzaro pop of The
Next Big Things FROM Britain, expand the seams of the L.A. rock scene to
the point of bursting. I will understand if a good share of you may
have only heard of one or two of these bands. Hell, I'll even understand
if 90% of you haven't heard of any of these groups. No these aren't
the Guns N' Roses, Jane's Addiction or any of the other bands one would expect
to find on an L.A. comp record. This is pure rock n' roll though fresh,
tough, raw and vital! If you feel any attachment to the undergound
scene at all here it is, pure and undiluted. Seek this sonic frisbee
out and enjoy it really loud sucker. Got me?
CMJ NEW MUSIC REPORT (September 9, 1988, "Jackpot! Plus")
L.A. is the land of highway shootings, people who wear too many scarves and
dance like Steven Tyler, and, most importantly, a few up-and-comers providing
a blast of obnoxiousness that cuts through the exhaust fumes without so much
as an excuse-me-please. The seven bands on this compilation haven't
forgotten that a long time ago in California there existed groups like the
Weirdos, Crime, and the Nuns, who all play raw, amateurish and exhilarating
music. These bands draw straight from that era's attitude and
approach, and don't mind tossing in extra amounts of bad posture and good
music currently displayed by the likes of Miracle Workers, the Dwarves, and
the Pandoras. Moist and Meaty starts off the ride with the Pagans/Sonics
stylings of "Don't Bum My Trip". The Next Big Things FROM Britain perform
with a dry delivery and a synthesized jag on "Tourists on the Beach"
Thirsty Brats also has a lyrical concern with their community, as evidenced
by their track "White Ghetto." Fearless Leader provides the most blatant
finger-up-a-nostril punk glare, and from there it's heavy tripping with
Crawlspace's and Lexington's transensational ramblings. Even dizzier
heights are scaled with two psychedelic tarantula tracks from Claw Hammer,
each a lovely example of pseudo-'60s raw guitar meat, perfect acid-damage
lullabies.
FLIPSIDE (#56)
This is a compilation of a new breed of underground vermin infecting the
L.A. club scene. Probably best described as punk rock, but I don't
want to give anyone the wrong idea. This is like the Anti Club scene....The
sound is a lot like the Stooges / MC5 / Sex Pistols, etc., anything loud
and fast and particularly guitar oriented. If that's your scene --
check out theirs.
| Return to Gimme The Keys Page |
Return to Trigon Records Catalog
|