"High School dropouts don't go to reunions. . ." No, I don't suppose
they do, although I wouldn't know. I wasn't invited to mine! Ha ha And
now, for a little good, clean, family entertainment, I give you "ALL" doing
"She Broke My Dick!" Well, at least it's over with in under a
minute, but honestly, I didn't need to revisit that episode!
Their "Don't Settle For Less" battle cry fits "Problematic" uncomfortably
well. Now, in an ironic twist, they present us with "nothing" in
particular, just a two-fisted shovel full of punk rock dirt to cleanse
the palates of rich and tasteful musical performers and clean-cut crew
necks everywhere.
Descended, if you will, from The Descendants, the
Alvarez-led clan returns again as "ALL," sporting an equally ferocious
front man, perfectly suited for back biting reactions, "problematic"
ramblings and angry wailings presented within "Better Than That,"
"Roir" and "Stupid Kind Of Love," though this barely scratches the
gritty surface of these eighteen crusty and coarse tracks. Songs of faith
and devotion they ain't! Way more like misuse and mistrust times ten!
Recognized among the many early power-pop/punk infiltrators, they are
"ALL" that and plenty more. To keep it simple, they're a sonic
pulsation, nearly doubling over in their own joke, but hard to the core
without the excessive snotty drip that always seems to dry up and get
old. Hell, after nine complete albums here, they must be doing
something right, even if it all comes out so troublesome and wrong!
Rhythmic crunch delivered at a most unconscionable extreme,
"Problematic" shoots true in several different directions, aiming mainly
at the heart of the hard core, but taking several potshots at the pop
targets too. You know, those tantalizing little delicacies just there for
the taking.
Is there anyone who can take a pop hook like them and just use it,
tear out the guts of what might've been, but never could be a potential
radio hit, like "Lock 'em Away," "Crucifiction," "The Shin." The what?
"ALL" broke new ground at the dawn of The Descendants' last day, and continue
to do so much to add to the dismay of musical aficionados, whoever they
may be, call it sonic defiance, or a blackened tooth in the pearly white
smile of the eponymous wad chewers thinking they know it all - and long may
they
choke on their dollar-signed dreams. "Problematic" presents plenty more
of their usual grit and determination, unpolished, unpredictable and in
most cases, uncontrollable, as it moves forward into boundless new
volumes of the extreme. These are classic complexities for this long standing
establishment, continuing to reinvent itself while taking its listeners
on a new cosmic obliteration of immeasurable proportions.
