Buzzcocks - s/t
(Merge)
After the embarrassingly awful "what-the-fuck-was-that?" stupidity of the Buzzkunst, Pete Shelley reunites with guitarist Steve Diggle for the 'cocks second studio reunion album, and it ranks up there with Singles Going Steady as one of their best. "Jerk" takes off like a house afire and then is completely derailed by a ridiculous drum solo at the break; the horns on "Keep On" add a crisp, Psychedelic Furs vibe; Steve Diggle mouths "Wake Up Call" and "Sick City Sometimes," and while his songs aren't as immediately hooky and catchy as Pete Shelley's, they often (as in "Harmony in My Head" and "Autonomy") boast melodies that sneak back into your head long after the song has ended, and always have GREAT guitar riffs. In fact, "Autonomy" may be the single greatest riff in their oeuvre.
Like the reformed Soft Boys from the same initial punk era, the presence of two gifted songwriters who haven't lost their sense of melody or abandoned their strengths (razor sharp guitars, driving pulsebeat rhythms) with pie-in-the-sky hopes of having a "hit" is a big plus, ensuring we won't be saddled with half an album of fillers.
I dare you to keep your feet still during "Friends," a pogo-friendly high ener-ener-energy plan in the true power punk style of other first division punk luminaries like 999 and The Lurkers. And the closing anthemic shouter "Useless" may be their best track since they reformed several years ago.
Without those silly two-second delays between tracks, the full-throttle assault continues unabated throughout, showing the band has clearly not lost a step in the 25+ years since their opening New Hormones salvo, Britain's first independently released punk EP ever.
Along with The Boys, Buzzcocks were the best of the old school punk bands that appealed to a wider audience by adding more melodic pop to their attack and on this, their 7th studio album, they prove once again to be at the top of their craft as one of the premiere pop/punk bands in operation today. A welcome return to past glories after a strong, but flawed, previous album.
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