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The Rice Thresher
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Josh Katz Operation Ivy never had a chance to grow up. Sure, its members splintered off into Rancid and a million other punk-sized pieces, but the point is this: They pioneered the sound of ska-core and put out a few excellent EPs, and nothing more was expected. The Blue Meanies followed the Op Ivy mold in a '90s fashion. 1997's Full Throttle lived up to its name with raging guitars, purely insane tempos, rapid-fire horns and lead screamer Billy Spunke exploding through every song in a whiny frenzy. They made Thick Records and Chicago indie-rage epicenters. We all know ska is deader than swing, and the Meanies have made the jump to the corporate imprint MCA and even have (gasp!) a producer. You weren't expecting the same old thrash and ska, were you? The most direct comparision is to Combat Rock-era Clash, or the new wave action of the Cars. The title of this album, The Post Wave, can't be anything but intentional, as the use of synthesizers, organs and horns combines with a punk-lite tunefulness. What happened to the aggressively mosh-able old days? As it turns out, maybe a little songwriting maturity isn't such a bad thing. What works on the album? At least five tunes retain that classic punk-hop sound that makes you bop your head like you did when you first heard Green Day back in eighth grade. Tunes like "Lose Your Mind," "Mama's Getting High on Chardonnay" and the cross-dresser anthem "When We Were Queens" are full of the dark humor and (newly restrained) punk fun that one would expect from the Blue Meanies. Unfortunately, the sticker that proclaims "featuring the singles _" on the front of the album focuses on the blander tunes of the album. These include songs such as the anti-pollution/anti-drug track "Chemicals," the songs with inoffensive, standard lyrics and tepid intensity. Hey, who sucked out the feeling? The Meanies still rage against familiar enemies: guns, conformity, urban poverty and inequality, pollution and, of course, television. But things have changed. Pop hooks never entered into the Meanies equation. These weren't sensitive indie or new wave boys. They left tire tracks on your Discman. On The Post Wave, the Blue Meanies experiment with calming down, slowing down and maybe even using their considerable instrumental talents for more than just sonic destruction. The album's a mixed bag and won't be a commercial anything. But it suggests hope for an endangered genre that, since the late '80s, has done precious little growing. - Josh Katz
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This document may be distributed electronically, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of: The Rice Thresher, Rice University MS-524, PO Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA. The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@listserv.rice.edu |
