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THE
VILLAGE VOICE (01/2004)
Los Angeles. Frank Black waited there in the pouring
sun. Xzibit saw the city burn. Exene Cervenka found it hard to say goodbye.
Now a bunch of kids from the O.C. want to terminate Governatorville
and rebuild it into a New Punk Nation, the kind of place where you fuck
up your face just skateboarding over the amps. The back-to-Cali basement
party Let's Get Rid of L.A. echoes with the last la-las in la-la
land: Squab make Slant 6 sound like doo-wop for the do-me set; the Flash
Express beat Jack White until he's black and blue; and the Starvations
point a trigger finger at the Clash, drop a word on their tongue, and
blow it through the back of their skull. The new sound of the City of
Angels is a greaser stomp that speaks of the devil. You can hear it
in the album booklet, which features interviews with label owners, radio
DJs, rock writers, and bands who helped create the scene, all discussing
the post-afterbar moments when you drive your stinkin' Lincoln to Dunkin'
Donuts and drink your breakfast as the sun goes down. The specter of
'77 still haunts Darby Crash's hometown, but the album gives you hope
that maybe the Germs were contagious.
-- Melissa Maerz
PRICK
MAGAZINE (01/2004)
Let's Get Rid of L.A. showcases some of L.A.'s
best underground bands, proving that there is more to this city than
cosmetic surgery and celebrity glamour. This compilation also proves
that not only is there a thriving punk scene in L.A., but also a myriad
of styles and sub-genres. There's lots of sweat-drenched, gritty garage
rock 'n' roll via The Rolling Blackouts, The Flash Express, and Thee
Make-Out Party!, but there are also strong new wave and power pop influences
heard in tracks by The Checkers and The Orphans. With some of these
tracks, the influences are undeniable, such as The Go-Go's-inspired
contribution from The Pinkz and The Fuse!'s "An Ave Maria," which sounds
like a collaboration between Sonic Youth and The Cramps with a little
spooky synth. If this comp is any indication, there are probably hundreds
more great bands lurking in the shadows of L.A.'s record industry giants.
-- Jonathan Williams (Music Editor)
CAL
LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY'S SCHOOL PAPER -- THE ECHO (aww...!) (01/2004)
Reminiscent of a time when "Rodney on the Roq"
broke new ground and Penelope Spheeris badgered a very inebriated Exene
Cervenka with trivial questions, Let’s Get Rid of L.A. is an
essential compilation for anyone interested in the underground L.A.
music scene. Collecting an eclectic array of styles, the record covers
the art-punk tendencies of Thee Make Out Party, the Josie Cotton inspired
new wave pop of The Pinkz, and the roots-punk sound of the Starvations
and The Alleged Gunmen (to name but a few). While all of the bands represented
are as unique as the members in them, they all have that warm, accessible
lo-fi sound so commonly associated with music of relevance. Simply put,
this comp is for anyone in need of a fresh reminder of what the L.A.
music scene still has to offer.
Openers The Rolling Blackouts bring their artsy-garage
punk assault with "Champagne and Painkillers". Neon King Kong
takes a page from the Morris/Ginn Black Flag era songwriting book and
proves that juvenile delinquent beach rats are still present and accounted
for. The Orphans (not to be confused with the Ventura band of the same
name) bring pure punk fury with "Miss Easy Rider". With the
exception of the lackluster "Minute" by Radio Vago, Let’s
Get Rid of L.A. is virtually dud free. That said, the two-standout
tracks belong to The Starvations and the Alleged Gunmen. The latter's
"New Bo Diddley" is an utterly fantastic apocalyptic tale,
sung over the music of a Teddy boy dancehall. Continuing in his Shane
MacGowan inspired narratives, Gabriel Hart of the Starvations has nothing
but contempt for bourgeois West Los Angeles (how appropriate).
In the liner notes of Let’s Get Rid of L.A.,
Todd Taylor vies for the erasure of L.A.’s punk past (a bit ironic,
considering the name of this comp was taken from a Randoms’ song). With
a past roster of X, The Gun Club, Catholic Discipline, The Go Go’s,
and Black Flag, Taylor might be asking for too much. Nevertheless, his
thesis is a completely valid (and understandable) one. The very richness
and romanticizing of L.A.’s punk past has seemingly weighed down any
expectation of reaching a golden pinnacle L.A. once achieved. However,
this feeling of complete dispossession is understandable, as there hasn’t
been much to offer the kids of L.A., especially in comparison to its
original ’77 punk burst. Consequently, this marginal perspective only
strengthens Taylor’s thesis, considering the rot of L.A.’s stagnant
music scene could be so easily inhaled by anyone just prior to that
now mythical blast of the late ’70s. Will the bands on Let’s Get
Rid of L.A. move L.A.’s preconceived immovable bar up a notch? Only
time or another comp begging for the dismissal of Let’s Get Rid of
L.A. will tell. Regardless, it has certainly (and more importantly)
reinstalled my faith in L.A.’s current scene.
-- Ryan Leach
SCREAMING
BLOODY MESS #469 (01/2004)
Shit yeah, this is how compilations are supposed
to be! Chock full of scorching rock and roll that surprises and flat
out rocks. This is a labour of love from start to finish and with the
exception of Radio Vago (sorry their dirge-y arty scuzz punk just ain't
my cup of tea) the 15 bands on offer rock it stupid in a raw and punky
manner. Highlights include the Rolling Blackouts, the Flash Express
(just try to sit still while listening to the "Beat that Kills")
and my two new favourtite US bands the Fuse! and Kapow records artists
the Alleged Gunmen, whose contribution "New Bo Diddley" is
an awesome blend of garage rock and sunny pop. Even the liner notes
are rad – a 44-page zine that shines a spotlight on bands, labels and
scenesters that are making a difference to the LA scene. Every music
scene needs a comp like this!
-- Tim Scott
THE BIG TAKEOVER #53 (12/2003) [web: bigtakeover.com]
The 15 bands on this eye-opening compilation of L.A.'s
current underground scene play loose, shambolic, raw, sweaty and thoroughly
stimulating rock 'n' roll, each with their own distinctive styles. If
the compilers wanted to remind us that L.A.'s music scene did not lay
down and die after the 1970s punk explosion, theyÅve succeeded admirably.
One look at the photos of each band in action, and itÅs clear nobody
is following any trends, or adopting a fake style-over-substance attitude.
It's all about the music, and best of all, both guys and girls participate
equally! Their influences are wide-ranging, too: from the Stooges (THE
FLASH EXPRESS, the compÅs standout!), to Blondie/Josie Cotton/Rezillos
(CHECKERS, PINKZ, both fabulous!), to Alleycats/Bags (ORPHANS, LIPSTICK
PICKUPS), Exene/X (RADIO VEGA [sic], another winner!), and even some
Screamers/Suicide keyboard freakouts (SQUAB, FAST FORWARD). THE ROLLING
BLACKOUTS, NEON KING KONG, THEE MAKE-OUT PARTY!, and THE FUSE! are all
smokinÅ hot, Black Flag/Circle Jerks/Weirdos-influenced punk, while
THE ALLEGED GUNMEN, MIRACLE CHOSUKE and STARVATIONS incorporate blues,
surf and spy music to their fine tunes. A current scene comp without
one dud? Hard to believe, but true! Damn, now I want to move back to
California...
-- Mark Suppanz
SEATTLE
WEEKLY (12/2003)
Same
as City Pages review
PUNK
PLANET #58 (11-12/2003)
There's definitely something worthwhile going on
in the ass-end of the Golden State. This isn't a multiband compilation
record so much as itÅs a document of a very vibrant scene. Forget what
you know (or think you know) about Los Angeles area punk rock. If Let's
Get Rid of L.A. is any indication (and 15 very good, very disparate
bands and a 40-plus page zine/booklet is a indication), all of
your assumptions will need to be jettisoned post haste. The music in
question comes from Los Angeles County and Los Angeles' not-really-suburb-so-much-as-autonomous-growth
Orange County. Said music is played by bands with members ranging from
one to six, all playing some variation of punk: soul punk, roots punk,
poppy punk, art punk, new new wave. etc. Somehow all 15 bands mix perfectly
(good mastering and sequencing not hurting the case) while maintaining
their individuality. Some of the highlights include the soul-cowboy
Clash-rock of the Alleged Gunmen, the full-tilt soul of the Flash Express
and the Fuse!, the garage trash of Lipstick Pickups and the Rolling
Blackouts, and the art attack of Squab and Fast Forward. ----- Rex Reason
GARAGE AND BEAT #10 11/2003 [web: garageandbeat.com]
This is a brand new compilation on a brand new L.A.
record label. I would imagine this exceeds their wildest expectations
for hitting the ground running. This has pretty much the same look and
feeling of many collections of underground upstarts from the late 70s
and early 80s. Many of the punk and new wave styles are being mined
by the latest crop of Angeleno club crawlers and party poppers. There
is plenty of variety here, but most of the bands have a hard edge and
seem to espouse a certain nihilistic, in-your-face attitude toward their
art. Oh, that's right, it's rock 'n' roll! The rebel rousers and rambunctious
romantics presented here are the Rolling Blackouts, Checkers, Neon King
Kong, Flash Express, Orphans, Alleged Gunmen, Squab, Make-Out Party!,
Pinkz, Fuse!, Radio Vago, Miracle Chosuke, Lipstick Pickups, Fast Forward
and Starvations. This is sort of like a history of punk music and a
taste of modern L.A. in one handy package. The LP comes with a full-blown
fanzine that details the various bands and shakers and groovers involved.
Way to go, Kat et. al.!!
-- P. Edwin Letcher
PHILLY
BLURBS (11/2003)
Let's Get Rid of L.A. is a recently-released
compilation that collects "15 bands from underneath the ruins of Southern
California" and acts as the latest branch of the South L.A. punk family
tree, which started with bands such as X, Redd Kross, Circle Jerks and
Black Flag. The Flash Express' "Beat That Kills" roars with feedbacking
guitars and a tightly meshed rhythm section and sounds like Nirvana
backing the Godfather of Soul, James Brown. The Rolling Blackouts score
big with their frenetic contribution, "Champagne and Painkillers" which
is a hyped-up, trashy rocker that sounds like it would be best played
in a sweaty basement at a keg party. Also noteworthy are Miracle Chosuke
(synthpunk a la Screamers), the Starvations (heavy-on-the-reverb cowpunk)
and Radio Vago (dirge-y female scuzz punk.) Available on CD and vinyl
LP, be sure to check out the LP. It comes with an incredibly detailed
48-page zine with interviews of all the bands as well as key figures
in the South L.A. punk scene including radio programmers and record
store and label owners.
-- Dave McGurren
MAXIMUM ROCK AND ROLL (11/2003) (excerpts)
...This is a rare beast--a compilation record that
kills from the moment the needles hits the groove and never lets up...
...This is an amazing achievement and if I didn't
have one already, I'd go out an buy it. Get this and be inspired, then
let's hear from your scene.
--Allan McNaughton
CITY
PAGES (11/2003) (excerpt)
On the new punk compilation Let's Get Rid of L.A.,
even the liner notes refuse to be contained. They're presented in the
form of a 44-page manifesto/band historiography that's included with
every copy of the CD. It's a superb resurrection of D.I.Y. fanzine culture,
and it's also a brilliant way of overcoming the frustrating anonymity
that tends to doom local scene comps...
-- J. Niimi
RAZORCAKE (11/2003) (excerpt) [web: razorcake.com]
...there's some really, really good listening to be
found here, and I can easily see it rightfully fetching huge sums of
money on eBay in a few years. Does it serve as an exhaustive document
of the myriad hues of punk to be found in Southern California? Not by
a long shot. Then again, when a comp rocks this hard, who really gives
a fuck?
-- Jimmy Alvarado
NEUMU (10/2003)
(excerpt)
...Put together by four friends aching to capture
a snapshot of the dynamic, energized punk scene around them, LGROLA
boasts a collection of messy, pared-down punk rock, bleeding with raw
intensity and sneering attitude. It's the sort of lo-fi, crash-and-bang
record you dig in the hazy wee hours while visions of a noise-soaked
evening at the local club swirl in your head. It reminds you, in 15
different impulsive ways, why you fell for punk in the first place.
A common, no-rules, fuck-it-up aesthetic certainly exists, but each
of the 15 tracks stands its own fiery ground (read: you definitely know
when one song has ended and another begun), giving the record an even
(and excitable) balance in its coverage of punk/rock in all its various
forms...
-- Jenny Tatone
LIGHT
UP THE SKY (10/2003) (excerpt)
...Let's Get Rid of L.A. is one of those rare
albums that is composed of nothing but exclusive and rare tracks from
the best unknown bands around. It can be set on repeat for ages and
never hints at getting old. Couple this with beautiful, extensive packaging
and one of the most credible groups of people releasing records today
and you have an absolute classic. When was the last time you listened
to a comp all the way through and wanted to start it all over again(self-made
ones excluded)? Exactly! Never. That's what makes this thing so great.
Buy Let's Get Rid of L.A. and support the possibility of Volume
2!
-- Mehran Azma
MEAN STREET (10/2003) (excerpts) [web: meantstreet.com]
...If the disc is Let's Get Rid of L.A., which
is nothing less than a blitzkrieg tour through the SoCal punk underground,
then my tip is worth every cent you can scrape up to buy it for ignoroid
friends back East...
...This disc is a freeze-frame of here-and-now...
-- Ron Garmon
LA WEEKLY [Slush]
(09/2003) (excerpt)
...Although the night turned into an impromptu wake
for Juvee ‹ according to Ms. Pistol, the landlord has declined attempts
to keep the place open ‹ everyone still celebrated the release of the
new Let's Get Rid of L.A. compilation on Revenge/Star Map Records,
which rather successfully apes the spirit of the old Dangerhouse and
Slash Records singles...
-- Falling James
LA
ALTERNATIVE PRESS (09/2003)
Everyone knows L.A. punk was buried with Darby Crash
back in 1980, right? Not so, say Revenge Records and Star Map Records,
which are jointly putting out an album that showcases 15 artists from
the present-day local underground music scene. Naming their compilation
after a 1978 song by O.G. thrashers the Randoms, the folks behind Let's
Get Rid of L.A. have set out to prove that a quarter-century later,
a new generation of bands is making the L.A. punk scene every bit as
vital and relevant as it was back in the day. In fact, there's so much
talent on this excellent compilation that it requires not one but two
nights to celebrate the record's release. Part One on Friday, August
29th features the hopped-up hardcore of Thee Makeout Party, the Checkers'
organ-tinged rock hooks, bratty beats by the Lipstick Pickups, boogie
and blues from the Alleged Gunmen, and the Starvations' gothic cowpunk,
plus DJ Luis Fuse. Then on Saturday, August 30th, Miracle Chosuke's
spazzy, brainy dance attack plays alongside Squab's dissonant darkwave,
the Orphans' punk sass, and the explosive noiserock of the Fuse. And
in between bands, you get to watch skaters working the mini-pipe!
-- Hane C. Lee
Let's
Get Rid of L.A. consists of all exclusive
songs from 15 of Southern California finest punk-indebted outfits. Hardly
any of these groups have received much exposure outside of the alternative
press (most notably OC Weekly, whose enthusiastic music scribe Chris
Ziegler compiled this release along with Sondra Albert, Gabriel Hart,
and Kat Jetson.) Outside of devoted pockets of fans, these bands have
little to no national audience. Hell, many of these guys struggle for
attention in their hometowns. But what shines most about this compilation
is not the obscurity of the performers, but the noticeable care and
deliberation with which this album was compiled. LGRLA has been
over a year in the making, and it shows; each track here is a winner.
LGRLA covers a lot of ground stylistically over its 15 tracks,
but one quality pervades the entire comp: passion. You can just feel
the enthusiasm when these 15 bands yelp, holler, pound, and blister
their way through their songs. It's obvious that all these acts have
their hearts in what they're doing because, sadly, as (mis)fortune would
have it, they clearly can't be performing for money or fame. In short,
LGRLA presents not the music that is being heard, but the music
that should be heard.
A brief rundown of the tracks:
-The Rolling Blackouts kick this experience
off perfectly. Their Rolling Stones-meets-the Hives swagger combined
with impeccably good songwriting ensures that every Blackouts song is
a pleaser, this excellent opener being no exception.
-The Checkers follow with the abrasively
catchy "Is He In?" which, with a few listens, proves to be one of the
comps highlights.
-Neon King Kong provide LGRLA with
its first energy-drenched punk rocker ("Annette's Got the Hits"). This
is a punk comp, so of course energy is a prerequisite, but this is one
of those tunes where the energy doesn't just add to the song, the energy
is the song. A quick BANG! and it's over in a minute or less. The Orphans,
Thee Make-Out Party!, and the Fuse! also add their own distinct variations
of this formula to the disc. For energy at its purest, check Thee Make-Out
Party's one chord freakout at the end of their contribution (#8, "Can't
Leave the House").
-The Flash Express come next with the
comp's hardest rocker, "Beat that Kills." Turn your stereo all
the way up and try not to have a physical reaction when the drums and
bass drop out around the 45-second mark, leaving only the song's sweet
two chord guitar riff to do all the damage. Seriously, try it. It's
a dare. If your foot doesn't tap to this song, check your pulse. The
beat actually may have killed you.
-The Alleged Gunmen, from Kapow! Records,
contribute one of the most distinct tracks, "New Bo Diddley." It's a
sunny, keyboard-driven pop gem done with just enough punk simplicity
and garage-rock snarl to separate it from beach-popsters like the Tyde
or Beachwood Sparks.
-Squab provide LGRLA with its most
direct answer to New York punk (check the recently issued Yes New York
for loads of hyped NY post-punk artness.) "Hanger" is an exquisitely
executed art-punk tune that sounds like the Liars or Yeah Yeah Yeahs
with less polish and more bite.
-The Pinkz contribute "Right or Wrong,"
a song whose percussion heavy verses and poppy girl-group chorus provide
for a superbly enjoyable, if not predictable, listen. The Pinkz predecessors
may be clear (the Go-Go's), but these ladies take a proven formula and
prove it all over again with great results. -Radio Vago (track #11,
"Minute") along with Fast Forward (track #14, "T-T-T-T-Tet") give LGRLA
its only two electro-oriented songs, both injected with enough energy
and noise to satisfy fans of the electro genre and win over doubters.
-Miracle Chosuke follow Radio Vago with
a dance-punk single ("Clifton") so dancey you'll forget about all those
other hyped-up dance-punk bands garnering all the press. Hot Hot who?
Yeah, that's what Miracle Chosuke thought.
-The Lipstick Pickups come next with "Sealed
with a Kiss," a song reminiscent of early Donnas, which, despite what
you think of the Donnas now, is a high compliment. Groups that take
their cues from the Ramones and don't stray too far from formula scarcely
go wrong, and the Pickups have enough squeaky vocal innovation to set
them apart from everyone else.
-The Starvations, one of LA's most critically
respected punk groups, bring the comp to a fitting close with a track
that could have fit perfectly on their 2003 punk masterpiece, Get
Well Soon. "Fool's Gold," isn't the band's best song, but just being
up to par with this group's outstanding punk/roots output is achievement
enough.
Throughout history, some compilations
have documented and represented a region or era perfectly and prominently
(Nuggets, No New York, etc.). Whether or not LGRLA joins
the ranks of those is up to a variety of circumstances: time, public
response, chance, and so forth. But, if nothing else, LGRLA provides
us with a valuable and boisterous testament to the talent dwelling right
under our noses.
--David Kirkendall, KUCI |
