Here's a sample from the Angry Samoans' 1980 cut YOU STUPID ASSHOLE: "You're a stupid asshole, baby I'm one too. You stupid asshole—I don't know what to do!" That's a real doozy, right? I mean, especially the way Metal Mike Saunders bleats it.
How about a sample from Kommie Kilpatrick's WEIRD CITY tape: "always goin, goin nowhere, always showin', I don't care!" I'd love for someone to comment and tell me what the hell this guy is saying.
I threw out the Samoans because Kommie is, at best, a blatant synthesis of their sound but also because, lyrically, Kommie Kilpatrick is a sloppy synthesis of the Samoans' attitude. I don't know much about these guys, but if they're from Detroit I'm sure they have shit enough to whine about. Is he really broke, the singer? They all look dapper enough to me, the band guys in their myspace pix. What's more, all these songs, save one, are all nonspecifically about fucking, beer, and being cool and/or poor. With a name like Kommie Kilpatrick, the average schmuck might expect these guys to have some bent against their godawful city, but they really don't. “Stabbed Tonight” could be about being afraid of getting stabbed on West Grand Blvd. but we just don't know. The truth is these white dudes are actually afraid to say anything about Detroit. Not that the context calls for getting political, but these guys are grasping at straws trying to avoid any sort of meaningfulness. They could be from Kansas City for all I know! Did you know that Kansas City never enforced prohibition in the 20s? It was full of brothels and jazz clubs and they called it “The Paris of the Plains.” They called Detroit the Paris of the Midwest too, but that was for different reasons and a very long time ago now.
Anyways there's nothing wrong with sounding like a band from thirty years ago, but even John A. Knucklehead would gripe about Kommie's languid angst. Punk is postmodern enough to allow for some wiggle room—maybe this album is doused in generous portions of irony—but these guys' crooner sounds doubly affected and dim-witted in a thirdhand way. No fooling, punk rock IS a put on, but you have to wear it well.
At the end of the forlorn day, Weird City gleans us eleven short first-wave-ripped hardcore punk tunes, no bells nor whistles. Eat it up, jerks. I can call you jerks, right?
http://www.myspace.com/kommiekilpatrick
Track notes:
2 Girls 2 Fuck – Slow then the same thing fast
Amateur Cool – Angry Samoans thing, falls apart a little. Is this a mantra?
Crash your car – Best song
stabbed tonight – I think there's guns around town too...
friday night – Worst song, chorus is lame
bad news beers – Rhymes luck with fuck
I need dinner – Go off and eat some lunchables
outta here – “So dumb... so bored”... su-burb?
running wild – Are you going to funk night?
skate die stink – Right on, man!
creature of habit – Aren't we all
