WASHINGTON SOCIAL CLUB
Catching Looks (Badman)
Reviewed by Alan Wright

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I first heard these guys on local radio when their song "Modern Trace" came on. Their sound blew me away, and I requested a copy of this, their debut CD. Hailing from D.C., they are the newest in a long line of great D.C. punk bands. Their sound is rooted in the late '70s Mod-punk sound of bands like (especially) the Jam, and a bit of Clash/Stiff Little Fingers vibes and even some Billy Bragg in the vocal sound. Cool social-political lyrics and good joint male/female vocals from guitarist Martin and bassist Olivia (also credited as playing "the Freedom Horn"). Most of the songs are mid-tempo, and have a real groove to them, something that seems to be missing from a lot of modern punk where the objective seems to be to play as fast as possible. These songs are extremely catchy, especially the CD kickoff tune "On The Inside" and the faux '77 Brit-punk sound of "Simple Sound." "Charlie The Russian" uses lurching reggae beat and sparse playing on the verses while heaping Clash-like powerchords and distortion on the chorus, and excellent use of dynamics. Good stuff!

© 2004 - Alan Wright