Livids – “(Some Of Us Have) Adrenalized Hearts”
On TNB we are constantly scouring the internet for new and upcoming pans. No- wait! We do scour our pans with Brillo pads. You know, the brizzle pads that look like they were made from Jerry Garcia’s beard and scrotum.
That’s right- I said it.
You come, here looking for a peaceful, punk band review and I throw Jerry Garcia’s rotting crotch in your face!
So today’s review is of the new post- hardcore, post- pop/punk, post- post office, meal- which is Jerry Garcia’s rotting crotch served in a bed of lettuce with granola and cream cheese and onion rings on top.
Aww, fer-get it.
We are always busy scouring the net, showering ourselves with gifts, deflowering the neighborhood livestock, lustfully. But enough of this depressing, digressing- let’s get back to the subject at hand, Livids.
So when we are not panning bands we are scouring for them which can mean searching.
And Andy Bang, former bassist of the Quicksilver Messenger Service, picked this band for video of the week. And when he did, a lightbulb went on over my head. Then I reached up and turned it off, I then fed some tuna to my cat and after that I finally decided- it was my quest to review this band.
Here’s Andy with his former band:
Alright, let’s come together and loooooove people! But let it be said, the Livids, good though they may be- ain’t no Quicksilver Messenger Service (thank God). And if you think they are then I will pull your kidneys out using mental telepathy and dash them upon the motherfucking stones!
But first…let’s listen to some selections from Livids, shall we?
“(Some Of Us Have) Adrenalized Hearts” starts with a throbbing bass that makes me think of my member and “Mongoloid” by Devo. Soon some high pitched guitar slashes through destroying my equilibrium and rendering me disorientated and compassionless. What then spurts forth in all it’s orgasmic splendor is a garage/punk song full of energy and passion. “I got a way/ I got a sway/ I got a feelin’ I ain’t goin’ away? I gotta stay/ I gotta wail/ I don’t know what else to do.” But what can a poor boy do but play in a garage punk band? This song kicks your doors down, kicks major ass, has a non-wanking guitar solo and is chock full of fun. “The truth is, it’s all a lie/ The fact is, you can’t deny/ Some of us have adrenalized hearts.” The truth is, I had to look up what adrenalized means. And it means affected with adrenaline. And the truth is- this song is the musical equivalent of a sweet sugar high.
“Yeah I can’t stay awake and I can’t sleep..yeah, my cannon’s loose and rolling down a hill…even my boring nights are kinda like a thrill.” “Nerve Wrecked” is another garage/punk number that kicks you in the teeth like a donkey on steroids. The rhythm section plays too fast, the singer sings like he’s trying to finish before the cops come, the guitars have that grunge-y garage-y sound. And this song reminds me of early Damned which is high praise, indeed. It’s sounds like it could be an outtake from Neat, Neat Neat their first album. And weren’t a lot of the early punk band steeped heavily in garage?
“Theme From Livids” starts with a boomer-rang guitar lick and when the drums and vocals join in the dynamite keg is set to be lit. Something in this song reminds me of the Dead Kennedys which is pretty cool. (Much better than say, Steely Dan). “We don’t suffer fools/ This isn’t sweat it’s fuckin’ drool/ Our moms say we’re fuckin’ cool.” With great songs like this how could they say anything else?
When I told Andy I was reviewing Livids he became livid with rage and attempted to break a chair over my head. I said calm down, have some chamomile tea. But he just wouldn’t listen to the voice of no reason.
Maybe he was upset because some people would seek to limit garage bands from TNB. And if they are purely garage they are eliminated, reassigned and destroyed without a trace of them ever existing.
But I think if a band has enough spunk and punk or punk’n’roll in their bite, in their music- well, they’re elected and selected not rejected or unprotected. That’s something even Jerry Garcia’s crotch couldn’t deny!
And the Livids have that. They are an exciting, fun band that embodies the spirit of punk. The one band they most remind me of is Australia’s early great punk band, The Saints- again high praise. But when you remind me of The Damned, Dead Kennedys and The Saints but you also have your own distinct style, then I say, that’s pretty great. And you are totally deserving of acclaim unlike Jerry Garcia, his crotch, Quicksilver Messenger Service or this review or reviewer.
But I gotta duck out now. Andy’s shooting paper clips with a slingshot now. I better duck or one could slice my eye. And my eyeball could roll out of my skull, into the gutter and slither down the drain.
Never to see or be seen from, again.
(Slimedog)
