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NEW BOMB TURKS
Switchblade Tongues, Butterbrain Knives (Gearhead)
Reviewed by DJ Johnson
If you've somehow managed to miss a few dozen memos, please take my word for it when I tell you that New Bomb Turks, the Columbus, Ohio punk band, belongs on the "easily reached" shelf of any serious fan of "punk that rocks." A decade into a career recently rumored to be over, they jumped from Epitaph to Gearhead, which is quickly becoming the label of choice for those of us who like our punk loaded with decibels and thick, distorted guitars, and released The Night Before the Day the Earth Stood Still. That album was a return to form after a few that were simply "damn good" as opposed to "fuckin' hot!"
As talk of a new studio album is beginning to swirl, Gearhead has released Switchblade Tongues, Butterbrain Knives, a collection of sixteen tunes that were either non-album tracks or previously unreleased, which means it's a New Bomb Turk fan/collector's dream. The songs are hot as hell, making us wonder why the hell ten of them were never released at all. A few are a bit surprising in light of what the Turks usually offer, especially "Bad For Me," as nothing quite prepares you for hearing New Bomb Turks play jazzy blues. You think it's the beginning of a new song, but it's a false ending, a pause and a new ending with a battle of the saxes. Odd, but interesting and, hey, a jolt is always good if you ain't in a metal chair.
There are some cover versions that might throw you for a loop, too, the least shocking/most logical being The Devil Dogs' "Death Of Mighty Joe" which they nail with obvious affection and kickass results, completely drench Joy Division's "The Drawback" in liquid smoke and go way down lo-fi road for a gut-level performance of "Good On Ya Baby," a tune originally done by X (the Australian X, not the American X. If you've never heard them, you should). Fans of the bad boys of the Boston geriatric set will seriously dig "Chip Away At The Stone" on which New Bomb Turks certainly outgrit Aerosmith, though I must admit I kept waiting for the vocal harmonies on the chorus and feeling a bit sad when they didn't arrive. (Hey, some songs demand harmony. Not my fault.) The biggest surprise, in my opinion, is the cover of 50s rockabilly icon Faron Young's "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young." I'm not sure if this was previously released or not, but it sure caught me off guard and elevated NBT about twenty feet on their already high pedestal of coolness. They make each downbeat pound like a hammer, and it's one of Eric Davidson's best vocal performances. It's also a classy (can I use that word here?) way to close the album.
Labels often throw us a bone as we wait for a new studio album, but Switchblade Tongues, Butterbrain Knives is a whole lot more than a stopgap. This is "fuckin' hot!"
© 2004 - DJ Johnson