Denis Tek and the Golden Breed - Glass Eye World
(Career)
The sharp, punky delivery and slicing guitars reminscent of The Damned and Lords of The New Church (Tek is a remarkable ringer for the snarling delivery of the late, great Stiv Bators) on opener "Always Out of Reach" (featuring a guitarline so familiar I'm ashamed I can't remember its source) introduces us to the first batch of new songs from Ozzie punk icon (and Ann Arbor, Michigan native!) Deniz Tek in over two years. From seminal punkers Radio Birdman through MC5/Stooges offshoots New Race and Sonic's Rendezvous Band, Tek has been frightening oldsters (an early Birdman gig was stopped after only three songs for fear of killing some of the weaker constitutioned pensioners in the audience) and delighting the young punters for over three decades. Hooking up in the early 90s with skaterboy twins Art and Steve Godoy (tattoo artists whose billboard bodies are a walking cross between Rod Steiger's "Illustrated Man" and Henry Rollins), Tek joined the lads and their Exploding Fuck Dolls on mini tours across the East Coast and Southern California. The album at hand was recorded over three years and at several sessions in Montana and Vancouver, Canada.
Fans who recall Cook 'n Jones follow-up to the Sex Pistols, The Professionals, will once again pogo to the catchy, power punk riffage and anthemic chorus of the Fuck Dolls' "Let's Go," my choice for leadoff single. Heck, even the New Found Glory/Good Charlotte kiddie punks would love this one! "Flight 19" starts out like a dirty, garagey Dolls-meets-Elevators snarl and changes horses midstream for lengthy, psychedelic pyrotechnics, while "2 Pam Chloride" (ask your favorite chemist what it means) is classic Ramones that unfortunately, due to several deaths in the family, the lads never got around to recording. It's presented here in all its live glory, recorded in a shed in Montana in front of some of Deniz' daughter's friends.
A lyric from "1 Eye Sam" provides the album with its title, "What It's For" is pure punk for now people, again reminding what St. Stiv and his Church of the New Dead Boys might sound like if he were alive and kicking (although chances are fans of the reformed Radio Birdman may recall hearing this at recent gigs), and "Clifford Possum" is a Tek rap over 100% certified Stooge sludge that probably goes down like a house afire live, but loses a lot in this studio presentation.
In sum, the more discerning kiddies interested in tracing the family tree of seminal punk will find one of its godfathers in top form, although this collection will probably appeal more to punks like me who've been there... done that... and want to do it all over again.
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