Review Summary: Hilarity and anger come together and form an enjoyable album with excellent content lyrically and instrumentally.
When people tell me punk is just a bunch of dummies making ***-rock I laugh and tell them about the Dead Kennedys. A strong opinion and comedy are what makes DK what they are. If either of those were left out, it just wouldn’t be what it is.
The album is started off perfectly with Advice From Christmas Past. It really lays down what this album is about. Doing stuff for the right reason and being yourself. Melisa Webber mocks everyone who refused to see reality and tried their best to be like everyone else, everybody who believed that their life would unfold exactly the way they thought it would. She ends here speech on an ominous note;
“It never happened, did it?” This theme of non-conformity is present throughout the album most prominently in
Halloween. It points out how Halloween isn’t the only time people pretend to be something they aren’t, but it is the only time when they don’t try to hide it. And why hide it when nobody else does? The frantic guitar supported by a strong bass line and solid drum beat give the song an inspiring energy.
The album also shows how Jello cares about the environment with the amusing tale he created in
Moon Over Marin, probably the best song on the album. It starts with the usual upbeat guitar with a little less aggression. Jello weaves a tale about the disregard that people treat our environment with. It mentions the problems with tankers; “
Another tanker's hit the rocks. Abandoned to spill out its guts. The sand is laced with sticky glops And also how little so many care about the many problems; “
I squash dead fish between my toes. Try not to step on any bones. I turn around and I go home” The song stands the strongest amongst the others on this album with some of the most solid lyrics and the most interesting instrumentation.
While conformity and the environment are mentioned in the album, the main theme is groups; government different unions, and social parties. These are where the band shows a very angry and much more sarcastic sound. And with that anger there exists amazing energy.
I Am The Owl presents us with the idea of your plumber bugging your house and inviting his friends to come watch and listen to you live your life. The bass really drives this song held strong with a tight drumbeat, while the guitar accentuates the creepy feeling already provided by the lyrics.
Trust Your Mechanic talks about how much influence corporations have on how we think. It mentions TV’s ability to plant ideas in your head and how magazines con you into buying their products by insulting you. The fast snare rolls push this song to its limits and gives it its energy.
Nazi Punks *** Off takes some harsh shots at the faux punk kids and, in a verse, the big authority figures calling them Nazis. This has the most amusing lyrics of the album calling the faux punks pussies and pointing out that they’re becoming exactly the opposite of what punk is about. With a simple hi-hat groove and bass notes let to ring out an ill-boding guitar comes in to start
Riot. But the mood changes quickly when the vocals start up and the song ends up in a very dangerous sounding atmosphere. The lyrics here stand out to me because it points out how stupid the rioters are with the line;
“Tomorrow you’re homeless! Tonight it’s a blast!” Winnebago Warriors chooses to make fun of those families/friends that go out camping in their big Winnebago’s litter the grounds, feed the bears. You know the people who are truly in touch with mommy nature.
Despite the lack of real instrumental diversity they put a bit of a jazzy twist on their classic California Uber Alles, with the lyrics tweaked and the name changed to
We’ve Got A Bigger Problem Now. The groovy beat goes on for a while and then as if hardly able to contain themselves the band explodes into the traditional, fast, and aggressive style the original possesses. Jello also takes shots at Ronald Reagan and the Americans who voted for him saying;
“I am Emperor Ronald Reagan, born again with fascist cravings. Still, you made me president” He also rips on Mr. Reagan and assorted others on
Moral Majority. It starts out with a bass line stolen from a church sermon with a choir singing in the background as Jello speaks. As the speech ends all is quiet and the song burst into a mess of energy with a very amusing chorus telling Reagan, Jerry Falwell, Jesse Helms, and a few others to blow it out their asses or to ram it up their cunts.
If there was ever an album to get me interested in something I had never cared about before it was this one. Jello and co. have made a boring topic hilarious without losing the message amongst the frustration. The whole album is fast and it’s quite hard not to get immersed in this energetic masterpiece.
