LOCAL RECORD REVIEWS

By Anna Garza

Teenage Kicks – Uptight! LP

Only the good die young.

Let us now observe a moment -- not one of silence, but preferably one of pure crashing joy -- to commemorate the passing of Teenage Kicks. Instead of mourning the loss of this beloved band, we should celebrate their legacy. And, oh boy, what an impressive legacy they managed to leave behind in such a short amount of time. After releasing a demo and a 7", the Houston, TX power pop punkers broke up last year, but not before recording their posthumous LP, Uptight!

Co-released by local record labels, Team Science and Action Town, Uptight! is a ten song collection of sentimental/anti-sentimental, love/hate duality at work. With songs such as "No More Good Intentions", "Genocide" and "I Wanna Be Your Enemy", one thing is for certain... Teenage Kicks may have left the building but they didn't leave quietly. When singer/guitarist Kirke Campbell sings the lines on "Genocide", "This is the end of the teenage nation. No more self righteous frustration. So which side are you on?" You better count your lucky stars you picked the right side.

Musical comparisons to the Buzzcocks, The Jam and The Clash are inevitable. "All the Kids" contains an adorable shout out to Mr. Strummer & Gang with the lyrics, "Put on the first Clash LP and sing along to Career Opportunities." Starting with Side A to the end of Side B, this record will put a spring in your step and a song in your bittersweet heart.

Having the Teenage Kicks break up is kind of like meeting this great friend at the beginning of the summer, and then having him or her move away a few months later.

Teenage Kicks, we hardly knew ye.

Something Fierce – Where Ya Goin Man/ Spray Coat - 7"

There is a lot of activity over at the Action Town HQ this month. Another vinyl release offering is the two song 7" courtesy of power pop trio, Something Fierce.

Side one is "Where Ya Goin Man"; a song that was originally released on Something Fierce's first LP, There Are No Answers, on Dirtnap Records. For this version, Dead City Sound's Chris Ryan (aka Houston's equivalent to Steve Albini) added some polish to the song and made it shine so bright, I gotta wear shades. The Clash influence is prominent but I detected an early Replacements / Husker Du influence too.

Side two is a boisterous cover of the locally renowned Party Owl's song "Spray Coat" that would make anyone from Houston proud.


For information on these records, please visit:

http://teamsciencerecords.com/
http://www.actiontownrecords.com/