Let’s Get Rid of L.A.
Various Artists
Revenge
In Japan, you can see a certain type of Chinese theater that the Chinese forgot about 800 years ago. Here in America, you can listen to music most people forgot about 20 years ago. I guess we still have a long way to go to build a lasting culture of forgotten archetypes, but we are on our way. Let’s Get Rid Of L.A. is one of those compilations of bands destined for well-deserved obscurity, and it sounds exactly like the records I used to get on Melrose in 1980. Fifteen local bands ended up on this album, almost all of them making the disorganized and out-of-tune music that was exciting at the height of the L.A. punk scene but now seems like misplaced nostalgia.
Like all good punk samplers, there are a few interesting songs that are fun to hear, but not noteworthy enough to recommend seeking out. Pinkz has a nice female lead singing “Right or Wrong,” but the liner notes tell us they broke up and moved back to Hawaii. If you’re going to fail in L.A., it’s nice to have a tropical paradise to which to return. Miracle Chosuke pulls an interesting Devo-influenced tune out of “Clifton.” Mind you, the lyrics make Bachman Turner Overdrive seem complex, but the weird bleeps and bloops are all in place. The Starvations get a nice hollow, echoing rock-a-billy sound out of their equipment doing “Fool’s Gold,” but muffled lyrics make the included booklet of lyrics essential. And other than that… well, I’ve done the hard part for you; I listened to the whole album twice.
Let’s Get Rid of L.A.: http://www.letsgetridofla.com/
