Of all the punk records to come out of the 1990s,
Personal Best
comes closest to actually recapturing the sheer passion and rage which originally spawned the movement two decades earlier; where other bands whine on endlessly about running out of beer money or losing the right to skateboard in the park,
Team Dresch
confront real issues -- bigotry, oppression, religion, self-worth -- with a sense of conviction and immediacy that lays to waste everything in their path. For an album that lasts less than 25 minutes,
is a draining, relentless experience -- it explodes on contact, the cumulative result of years of pent-up anger, frustration and desperation finally allowed release. What distinguishes
from the vast majority of their queercore compatriots is that they never put their politics ahead of their songs -- each of these ten tracks is airtight, with melodies as blistering as the lyrics. And while some songs are explicitly polemical --
"Hate the Christian Right!"
would undoubtedly send Ralph Reed into apoplectic fits -- and others like
"Growing Up in Springfield"
are deeply personal, there's ultimately no separating the two;
is above all a call-to-arms, which in the end is exactly what a great punk record should be. ~ Jason Ankeny