Black Flag must've had one of the most interesting evolutions on the 80s, especially in punk rock. After being absent for three years, they released three albums in rapid succession in one year. Starting with My War, they began to incorporate Jazz, Heavy Metal, and noise, which alienated plenty of fans. On top of that, they grew their hair longer just to piss people off. Next came Family Man, a truly bizarre record that contained one side of spoken word delivered by Henry, and another side of Free Jazz instrumentals from Greg and Co. Slip It In would come a few months later, which synthesized all these directions into one, with interesting results to say the least. Next would be Loose Nut, which is easily Black Flag's worst studio album, but a great one nonetheless. What we see is Black Flag taking the undeveloped parts of Slip It In and putting a more accessible twist on them, with occasional pop-esque writing. The sound is much more together and developed, in fact this is probably their most polished record in every way. This is also Black Flag's most accessible record, due to songs such as "Bastard in Love", "Best One Yet", and "This is Good" being catchy, almost radio-worthy. The main problem lies in the production though, which sounds very 80s-esque for the first time in Flag's career, with muffled drums and reverb on everything. Plus, some songs feel like filler, mainly on the second side. But, Loose Nut is a very solid record from Black Flag that should satisfy any open-minded fan of the band.
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