The Queers
Back to the Basement
Asian Man Records
Are you a completely grown-up punker when you cover bands that wrote songs like “Carbona Not Glue” and “White Minority?” I guess so; and when the Queers do they offer up thier cleanest sounding disc yet. Opening with rumbly and rough surf instrumental “Rollerdog,” I’m ready to break out my jammies and Dr. Zog’s and hit the breakers, but it’s just a sucker punch: the next cut sounds 1977 but drips with the nostalgia of a five-year reunion. In “Back to the Basement” they state the thesis sentence of this disc: “Whatever happened to Black Flag?” Easy answer there: Henry Rollins ran out of skin to tattoo and jumped on the spoken word circuit. While he grew up and got a day job just like most people, The Queers have yet to settle down. They pull off gems like “I Wanna Tit Fuck You” and “Pull Me Out Of It” and a continuing string of tunes that could have come from the Ramones’ Rocket to Russia days. The mix is identical, and I suspect they went over to Gold Star studios, jimmied the window, and stole the mix board settings. With a high energy groove running through this collection, GG Allin references blend with the joys of getting stoned and chasing skanky girls with body piercing and body odor. The glory days of punk may be in the past and the genre today no more than just another pose, but the Queers have looked over their shoulder, and I think we both like what we see and hear.
The Queers: http://www.myspace.com/thequeers • Asian Man Records: http://www.asianmanrecords.com
