One would never guess that the members of
400 Blows
are fans of
the Smiths
when listening to their debut album,
Black Rainbow
. This California
punk
trio delivers a high-speed,
aggro
-accented set, and it's the farthest thing away from anything
Morrissey
and company ever did.
Black Flag
might come to mind first, but not
. Quick, pinch-hitting percussion from
Ferdinand Cudia
is fully as intense as
Christian Wabschall
's hypnotic guitar riffs, but it's the frenetic vocal screeching from frontman
Skot Alexander
that totally defines what
stands for. There's more speed, more angst, and a raw
hardcore
rage on
and for a young band, it's an explosive effort. They're not aiming to do what's already been done since
Nirvana
first arrived in the early '90s, because they obviously lack the desire to do so. It's pretty clear that
isn't following any kind of post-
alternative rock
formula on
. The only thing they're wanting to do is rock out -- and hard. With songs like
"The Ugly Are So Beautiful,"
"The Root of Our Nature,"
and
"Everyone Is Silent,"
feels the fever and wants the listener to respond without thinking.
is sick -- sick with what's commercially appealing and ill to what's currently thought of as
.
is the real thing, so be afraid. ~ MacKenzie Wilson