The Negans – “Take It Like A Champ”
The Negans claim to be a “fast pace rock’n’roll band that will smash you in the face and leave you wanting more!”
My masochistic yearnings aside- musically, this band does wield a walloping whip, a sound spanking, a deadly upper cut that smashes you, more in your ears, tremendously- that I’ve been told is located closely to the face.
But don’t ask me! I’m not a student of physiology.
But I do know when my ears incur something tasty, just as when my tongue approaches something it wants to hear and when my eyes are touching something that makes them feel nice. I like it.
So, maybe my senses make no sense. But, I sense, all this interconnected, exploratory combination of the senses leads me to believe that I need to feel, to hear, to experience The Negans as one total whole. And what I sense is that “it’s all good” as the young folks say.
But of all our senses- touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing. Let’s focus on that last one as we check this release out:
With a drummer hell-bent to beat his drums into submission and a guitarist slashing chords with stuttering slices that, machete like, send off sonic reverberations that rocket through our brains, “Shut This Shit Down” has a melodic vocal that gives off the aggressive menace of folks like Rob Zombie and Billy Idol. There’s early punk, garage, skate punk, metal all colliding in this song, to create one awesome sound, one awesome tune. “Eeny, meany, miney, moe. Where you land, no one knows. Where my dirty girl goes.” Don’t shut this shit down, this song is the motherfuckin’ shit!
“Pee Wee Pants City” starts with a great, rhythm section lead, a screeching, sliding guitar and a vocal that exhorts, “C’mon. Oh, yeah!” There was a nineties Seattle band called Tad, that was a favorite band of mine, that was one of the few bands of that time from Seattle that slipped into obscurity. Life isn’t always fair, but this song sounds a lot like Tad, and this song kicks ass! “You can bleed, you can laugh, you can cry. Hell, you’re all gonna be doing that.” Been there, done that, great song.
“Redneck Zombies” juts out like a rompin’, stompin’ hillbilly tune taken at breakneck speed. There’s an echo-y, haunting vocal answered by a jaunty, melodic punk chorus. This song is chock full of aggression, energy and humor and that’s more than enough for me. “Wooh-hoo!”
“I Love Lucy” starts out with an apreggiated guitar line and a slow pace, suggesting we’re heading towards “Dull Power Ballad Land.” But soon the rhythm incinerates when the vocal yells “Go!” Fuzzing guitars, rockin’ rhythm section and a vocal that now, makes me think of The Gun Club and The Cult. “She’s a barbed wire mother, so fuckin’ awesome. She’ll stop a bullet for me.” And when the glorious chorus explodes- Yes! You have The Misfits, Iggy Pop and all those bands I’ve expressed blasting incandescently like a street light reflecting tragic emotion, heartfelt surges, passionate regrets culminating in perfect art. “She’s a barbed wire killer, bad ass thriller, bring you down to your knees. She’s a vampire bat…wants to see you bleed.” He loves Lucy and the singer says Lucy loves him…not so positively sure about that. But I do know- I love this song and this release.
Negan is an imaginary character of the comic book series “The Walking Dead”.
But I’m not using my imagination when I relate that this is some fun, exciting music that you could call high energy hard rock or “horror rock” as one of their tags allude to-
But, Hey! I never liked The Misfits though this band reminds me more of The Damned instead. A band who took great influences, like The Stooges and the MC5, and created one of the very best early English punk albums.
The production, the playing, the writing is top notch on this recording. I would point other bands, asking how to do it right, towards this band.
Sometimes band have financial restraints or are inexperienced and still turn out great stuff- but this is the sound probably, what most bands should aspire to.
But for me what I’m aspiring to- is just one more drink from the bar. I’m praying that the bartender won’t notice how drunk I am and shut me off.
Thankfully, I notice that I’m at home and that the fridge is not that far away.
I just have to convince myself that it’s alright to have just one more, though, I know- I don’t really need it.
I’ll just walk up to my refrigerator, pull out my I.D., show it to myself and proceed to get my beer.
The Negans are a band you should drink in, if you want some great music. Just pour some of this high proof stuff in your ears and you won’t be disappointed.
While I try to get a designated driver to my fridge.
(Slimedog)
