Thursday March 28th 2024

CAC – “Pissin with…”

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CAC – “Pissin with…”

 

CAC or C.A.C. is a new band, that stands for Christians Against Christianity or really, Crime Alley Cretins. It’s a new band to me and probably to you, as well. I just heard this recording two weeks ago and saw them play, their first gig, exactly a week before this review goes on-line.

I went to that show, mainly to see one of my favorite bands- DestrOi! But I looked forward to hearing these guys, too. Because I thought their songs were so good and because Alecks, their singer who also sings for Rictus Grin, another favorite band, was in this band, as well.

Rictus Grin is a  band that I’ve enjoyed their music but have never seen live. (That statement should be false as you read this because I’m hoping to see Rictus Grin two days before this review is on-line!)

So the set they played was only fifteen minutes long, but I’d rather have fifteen minutes of perfection (like a Gas Station Girls set) than a forty-five minute one where I can’t wait for it to end.

And though impressed with this recording, their live set, which was basically them running through these songs and a few others, impressed me so much that I left feeling that they played the best set of the year that I’ve witnessed so far.

This is a new band. They mix punk, Oi and hardcore.  Though they have the style and feeling of early punk their style is unique to them.  And I think they are fucking great.

Let’s see if you agree:

With a wild, jungle beat, group vocals and a two-note guitar line simulating a police siren, theme song “Crime Alley Cretins” detonates. Once the song really kicks off while the vocals vomit their venom forth, with the guitar player pausing for clean-up before answering with his two-note siren lead and Midwest America praying for their very souls. Eventually, the screaming vocals, wild rhythms and manic guitar all play nicely together only to part once again like shits in the night. If you ever wondered what a perfect mixture of punk, Oi and hardcore tasted like- here’s your drink.

Another energetic, tom-tom beat leads off, “Can’t Stop Oi,” with the guitars growling menacing chords below the awesome beat while the vocals emit hardcore aggression mixed with riot grrl spit and hysteria. The background, group vocals answer with the title of the song until another two-note guitar lead pops in, this time adding a screech up the guitar strings. This is a song that the professors of music would find severely lacking but everyone else who enjoys passion and fun and excitement in music, will have a ball!

After four hard drum hits “Smelly Fucking Booted Freaks” which I also believe is the title of a new song by Katy Perry, explodes with an in your face vocals answered by a chorus of “Oi, Oi, Oi.” “Fuckin’ Oi will never die, yeah, yeah, yeah.” I have to point out the guitarist plays a short, perfect solo with more than two notes. And this is another perfect pogo punk song.

“Young Punx Fight Their War” is thirty-six seconds long.  I don’t believe I should use more words to explain it. This is their most hardcore tune. It’s a pure drive of passion, aggression and punk.

The last song starts with the guitarist playing 147 notes that really kinds of slur and crescendo together,like a drunk bouncing off a few parked cars. The excellent drums come in with another wild and chopping beat that suggest to me, Iggy & The Stooges in their prime. This is high wire tightrope walking on the third rail with the high shrieking vocals threatening, “Fuck you…eat shit,” to the back ground vocals that shout “Chaos and walk.” There is a sort of a breakdown part, where court is called to order and sampled voices state their plea until it degenerates into utter chaos, faces disfigured, no redeeming value and complete musical bliss.

Someone could say to me, “You know, I’ve read countless books about World War II, I can tell you anything you want to know about it.” And right next to them is an old guy who says to me, “I fought in World War II.” And you can guess who I’d be talking to.

I was there in 1977, the birth of punk. I know what it sounds like, but more importantly, I know what it feels like to me. And how does it feel?- exactly like CAC.

Countless bands now claim to be punk, while in the eighties, after punk’s commercial failure, bands were begging to be called anything else. “We’re new wave, we’re power pop, we’re  rock’n’roll…anything but punk!”

I think now so many bands want to be associated with the word ’cause it conjures up integrity- as well it should and as well they understandably want to be it.

And though I see more true, local punk bands sprouting up in the last year or so, there’s still less than a dozen that I have no qualms bestowing that lofty moniker upon.

So disregard this bands link with hardcore, disregard their allegiance with Oi, though that’s a great one.

Let’s file this under “P”. Not for pogo or passion but for punk-pure punk.

This is fun, this is wild, this is passionate. This is over the top, in your face, emotion and aggression that can’t contain itself. That is honest, that is tough, tenacious and true.

This is music that rips your heart from its’ roots and displays it strong and bright in the light to you.

Take a look at it, I think it sounds pretty great!

(Slimedog)

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