A caustic, snide and fiercely intelligent statement of intent.
There are certain parts of the punk rock canon that have been so reused, rehashed and recycled it’s hard to reappraise them objectively. Similarly, the likes of pre-weathered Ramones tees on the racks at high street fashion stores, Lady Gaga in a GISM jacket and the ugly memory of the Red Hot Chili Peppers maiming Nervous Breakdown have seen underground influence and iconography brought into popular parlance in a way many could never have imagined.
The Dead Kennedys, to a large extent, have fallen foul of such erosion. Whether it’s their entry-point status for legions of teen rebels who’ll be quick to seek more esoteric pleasures, lacklustre tributes from big-name acts or the years of legal squabbles since their split, it’s become hard to step back and see their debut album for what it was and what it still represents: a caustic, snide and fiercely intelligent statement of intent that well deserves its place in punk’s battered annals.
Lees de rest van deze review op BBC CD recensies (Engels)
Bron: BBC Music