The Usual Suspects – “Old, Fat and Bitter”
The Usual Suspects strut into the bar- they’re here for trouble, they knock over a few chairs, they’re here to disrupt the status quo. They have insistent, intense vocals laying out accusatory acclimations against everything society holds dear. They’re here to cause trouble. They have slashing, crashing guitar leads that want to make sure you don’t forget. They have rhythms that hammer out pulverizing punk’n’roll and songs that sinks it’s fangs into corporate America’s throat. Let’s sing along as the blood drips down into our eyes and stings and blurs the picture of our perfect American apple pie.
This CD starts out with roaring guitars and vicious vocals that make my head explode and spew guts upon the ceiling. Then I calm down; but somehow the music doesn’t. This is old-school punk, balls to the walls, in your face, take no prisoners punk’n’roll. Is this perhaps Matchbox 20, you ask? Oh, no, I can assure you- this is music that rips your heart into the speakers and demolishes your soul into the gaping hole, left in the wake of the music, into the earth below.
Some promises in this song about a “brick through the window” but I promise this blistering attack will incinerate any false lies or inflammable material around you.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/01-Brick Through A Window.mp3|titles=Brick Through A Window]Quiet start, just camouflaging before the assault, stutter guitar with the drums laying out, “You’re a trust fund rebel/ I seen it a million times/ Mom and Dad pay you/ You never had a job/ You’re a trust fund rebel.” Then a Johnny Thunders like guitar pounces upon the perimeter as the villages hide in fear, stop and stutter rhythms, slashing chords and the seething vocals come in to finish the job, “Hey you little rich boy/ Take a look at me.” Then the sacrificial artifice is hoisted in the air, his entrails disemboweled and another fine punk song has arrived.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/02-Trust Fund Rebel.mp3|titles=Trust Fund Rebel]“How ironic that you have a silly mustache.” The music starts brewing and stewing, “How ironic that you wear your sisters clothes/ How ironic with the coke spoon up your nose.” Johnny Thunders/ Chuck Berry revisits again just to recharge the battery to overload- 2, 3,4,- I’m not being ironic when I say this song kicks major ass.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/03-How Ironic.mp3|titles=How Ironic]After a few wooh-ooh’s the rhythms kick in with a kamikaze guitar attack, “Goin’ to the bar, drinking with my friends,” which leads to the inevitable “Oi, Oi, Oi.” Though drunk and disorderly the singer keeps declaring notes of keen observation. The vocals keep chanting, the chorus keeps repeating, the guitars try to offer some reason but it all falls on deaf ears. “Hangin’ at the bar, drinking with my friends/ Drinkin’ till all night, it never ends.”
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/04-Drunk & Disorderly.mp3|titles=Drunk & Disorderly]It starts with a beer can being open and then an “aah” followed by some pretty slammin’ guitar leads against a hard as nails bass lick with drums slashing away and the vocals portraying a sensitive, conciliatory tone, “Say what you will ’cause we don’t care/ Say what you will ’cause we don’t fuck’n’care.” A roaring rhythm guitar lays out a blanket of sound for the lead guitar to take stabs at while the vocals come in to wail about their heartfelt compassion.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/09-Say What You Want.mp3|titles=Say What You Want]A Dead Boys cover to take us out, “Everybody Knows You’ve Been Caught With The Meat in Your Mouth,” to fulfill their earnest dedication to political correctness. The Usual Suspects, musically and lyrically, take what their predecessors left before them and like the Pilgrims before them, they massacre the Indians, condemn all to eat turkey and rail against the system while delivering supersonic punk’n’roll.
I recommend this CD heartily. I recommend you embrace this to the center of your soul. I believe this CD should be the guidelines to all we hold dear and cherish. It’ll rock your motherfuckin’ world, Jasper.
I dig it.
[audio:https://www.thrashnbang.com/wp-content/music/10-Bonus Track.mp3|titles=Dead Boys Cover]
(Slimedog)
