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Caledonia
PUNKS coLLfOE: 5uB pops
MURDER cify DtvrLS &
tHE yo-yo'5 mt HtHEnS
T he smirking naysayers who dismiss the
Seattle-based Sub Pop Records as a lost,
washed-up, "grunge" label are totally mis
taken. The indie-gone-major has suffered its share
of financial and spiritual woes through the messy
aftermath of the recent post-grunge years, but
has consistently released an eclectic slew of some
of the strongest, most interesting, underground
music—especially in the last year or two.
Consider the offbeat avant-punk sounds of
such bands as Vue, Les Thugs and Love As
Laughter or the quiet, charming pop of The
Pernice Brothers, Saint Ltienne and
Beechwood Sparks or the vital, melan
cholic rock of Sebadoh or the kick-ass
guitar rave of The Go and Zen Guerrilla
or the reckless, 70s-style hard-rock of
The Hellacopters and Gluecifer or the
complex, quirky instrumental experi
mentation of Five Style and Heroic
Doses. Hip pundits can't argue that
there's not a hell of lot coming out of
this label office.
Two of the more savage rock and
roll bands on the current Sub Pop
roster are blazing their way through
the South this week during a national
tour. Pompadour-styled, tattooed,
British punk quartet The Yo-Yo's and
sleazy Seattle favorites The Murder City Devils
have both released raging slabs recently.
straightforward tunes are in the vein of Social
Distortion and X, while the more melodic, pop-like
songs sound like KISS playing the theme to
"Scooby Doo."
Danny, Tom and Neil split lead vocal duties. All
four are dutifully clad in black and covered in tat
toos and pomade.
THE MURDER cfty DEVILS
The Seattle Weekly once described The Murder
City Devils and Mudhoney as "the Olsen twins of
tHE ya-yu'S
This London quartet was formed in 1998 by
singer-bassist Danny McCormack following his exit
from the metal band The Wildhearts. He recruited
ex-Sugarsnatch vocalist-guitarist Tom Spencer,
drummer Bladz and ex-B Movie Heroes guitarist
Neil Phillips. The band set about constructing a
set of guitar-driven rock anthems filled with pol
ished vocal harmonies, pounding drum beats and
basslines and a "classic punk" romanticism drawn
from The Clash, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols and
other alumni from the Punk Class Of 77.
The Yo-Yo's debut single, "(You Got Me) Out of
My Mind," appeared on the Rebound label in late
1998, followed the next year by "Rumble(d)." The
band then signed to Sub Pop and issued its first
full-length effort, Uppers And Downers, this
summer.
The band tore up the stage in Austin this past
spring during a SXSW Sub Pop showcase at Emo's.
The Austin-American Statesman's Anna Giulliani
reported the massive show was "full of sharp
rhythms, thumping bass lines and Ramones-
worthy melodies: they played a fast and furiojs
set, and it was good to see a few Brits still inter
ested in doing the punk rock thing."
Much of Uppers And Downers resembles the
same blues-tinged guitar riffs and solos that
inspired the Pistols and company. The most
Seattle rock." Certainly the similarities in aggres
sive, guitar-rock songwriting style and obsessions
with the rcugh'n'sick lifestyle are there, but the
Devils wir the prize for nastiness. Mudhoney knew
its garage-rock history and pounded away with
beer-drunk smirks; The Murder City Devils—as the
band moniker suggests—are obsessed with more
grizzly affairs.
The hard-working seven-piece band's recent
album, In Name And dlood (Sub Pop) is a grim but
rockin' follow-up to 1998's comparatively straigh
tahead Empty Bottle Broken Hearts. The new col
lection slides from one tale of inebriated
debauchery to another, with a few odes to blood-
drenched crime scenes tossed in for good mea
sure. The songs are filled with heavy' handed
guitar riffs, drum fills and creepily oscillating
organ drones. Well-versed rock historians will
easily trace elements of such bands as the New
York Dolls, The Stooges, The Deviants, The Gun
Club and Swell Maps.
The band formed a few years back out of the
remains of such hedonistic Seattle rock bands as
Area 51, Death Wish Kids and The Hookers.
Fronted by bespectacled vocalist Spencer Moody,
the current lineup includes guitarists Dann Galluci
and Nate Manny, organist Leslie Hardy, bassist
Derek Pudesco, drummer Coady Willis and
roadie/official seventh member "Gabe."
Through the last two years, MCD has been on
the road almost as much as it has been at home.
While the non-stop touring has sharpened the
band's technical chops, it has done nothing to
weaker its stamina and tolerance for boozy mis
chief. Moody's on-stage yowling and prowling pro
vides a Lux Interior/Iggy Pop-esque spectacle in
front of a dense caterwaul of powerhouse rock
antics, thunderous riff-mongering and fiery special
effects. Expect someone to set Hardy's old Farfisa
organ ablaze by the conclusion of the week show,
and beware.
Ballard Lesemann
WHO; Murder City Devils, The Yo-
* Yo's, The Catheters
WHERE: Ultramod Compound
(cal[613-2331 for information)
WHEN; Sunday, July 23, 9 p.m.
HOW MUCH: $5-
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