A Fistful of Rock n’ Roll
Vol. 10
Devil Doll
At a time when every second new rock band is being touted as the next big thing in garage rock, it’s a good thing that Devil Doll is around to help separate the posers and wannabes from the real thing. The A Fistful of Rock n’ Roll compilation series offer an informed and vital presentation of worldwide garage/punk/rawk, and this tenth installment shows no sign of slowing down.
From the upbeat prime time Black Sabbath doom of 500 Ft. of Pipe’s “So Good” to the epic call-to-arms aggresso-punk that is Brother Brick’s “Chokito Bar,” Fistful strikes a beautiful balance between signed and unsigned bands, gloom rawk and party punk. Anything goes, it seems, as long as it’s got attitude and energy.
And while everything’s not equally engaging, most of this is in fact remarkably good – much owing to the diversity of the comp, ensuring that the listener is constantly surprised and repeatedly caught off-guard. Speedealer offer a stylish hybrid of Billy Idol’s comic book punk and Mötorhead’s metal attitude, Midnight Evils take a stab at some furious tractor rawk, and Irwing Klaws match The Ramones with The Violent Femmes. It’s this playfulness that marks out both the best bands on here, as well as the comp’s unique scope.
As ever, the CD comes with a thorough music essay that’s worth the price of admission alone. This time, Bryan Swirsky talks about the early 1980s hardcore scene and offers a band genealogy of Biblical proportions. A great read that only serves to underline the sheer supremacy of the Fistful series today.
Devil Doll Records: http://www.devildollrecords.com
