SMUT PEDDLERS
Coming Out (TKO)
Reviewed by Alan Wright

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Wow, what a killer CD! This is album number five - and the best yet - from these crazies, following hot on the heels of their Deadbeat vinyl-only 10" release and Billy Zoom-produced Exit Plan EP. With super-tight musicianship, great sarcastic lyrics and a lot of power, this sounds like some kind of throwback to the early ‘80s. Singer John Ransom has a classic pissed-off punk voice, and the twin guitars of Sean Mallard and Scott O'Brien are balls-out excellent. Riffs and more riffs galore, speedy tempos and the powerhouse rhythm section of Julia Smut and Gish hold the bottom end down. In a lot of ways, this is as classic as a lot of that early So.Cal punk - think Circle Jerks, Black Flag, Chiefs, Redd Kross, TSOL, Gears, Adolescents and X. Many of the lyrics ain't pretty, with songs about junkies ("Driftwood Nights"), hepatitis C ("Rebatron Party"), corrupt politics ("State of the State"), and torrid tales of drug-fueled love and sex ("Vernon Girl"). For those that might miss the more dangerous and real punk as opposed to the cookie-cutter punk on corporate radio, check these guys out!

© 2004 - Alan Wright