You should know about X. They are a culturally significant punk band with a long, storied history. This is the first record in a long while with the original four members: D. J. Bonebrake, Exene Cervenka, John Doe and Billy Zoom.
As important as their history is, however, the key point is that Alphabetland is a good listen. It's short, clocking in at less than 30 minutes, but its energy is welcome, especially when you have to spend most of your time indoors.
If you already are a fan, there are versions of songs that you may have heard before: "Delta 88 Nightmare" is a bratty description of tour life first released in 2001, while the jangly "Cyrano deBerger's Back" dates way back to 1987.
If this is your first experience with the band, there's a good chance that this record will cause a bit of jumping around. The pleasant melodies, harmonizing between Cervenka and Doe, bouncy beat and loud guitar are a welcome combination. This is pop-punk done by veterans of a scene and a sound.
It's not perfect – there's a spoken-word bit tacked on to the end that is less than satisfactory, but the lyrics aren't really the point here. This is a record that fills up a room and begs to be turned up loud.
(Fat Possum)As important as their history is, however, the key point is that Alphabetland is a good listen. It's short, clocking in at less than 30 minutes, but its energy is welcome, especially when you have to spend most of your time indoors.
If you already are a fan, there are versions of songs that you may have heard before: "Delta 88 Nightmare" is a bratty description of tour life first released in 2001, while the jangly "Cyrano deBerger's Back" dates way back to 1987.
If this is your first experience with the band, there's a good chance that this record will cause a bit of jumping around. The pleasant melodies, harmonizing between Cervenka and Doe, bouncy beat and loud guitar are a welcome combination. This is pop-punk done by veterans of a scene and a sound.
It's not perfect – there's a spoken-word bit tacked on to the end that is less than satisfactory, but the lyrics aren't really the point here. This is a record that fills up a room and begs to be turned up loud.
