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By staff reports
Arizona Daily Wildcat
August 29, 1996
Oblivians
Fourteen hours in a steaming car through the hot desert. Three days in culturally barren Las Vegas, sleeping on the floor of a motel where someone had gotten rolled in front of the night before. It was all worth it recently to get to see an hour of the Oblivians, who kick ass over any of the dozens of other bands I have seen.
And while nothing can compare to watching the band play inches in front of you, the Oblivians' singles rank among the best in the minorly trendy garage rawk genre. I have heard some people complain that after a succession of awesome releases, the Oblivians were becoming mediocre with some of their more recent singles. However, their latest 7", "Strong Come On," should shut those critics up.
It's encouraging that once you cut through the crap of all of the garage posers, wanna-be Gearheads, and Man or Astroman lovers, you can still find a band that honestly still knows how to rawk. Lo-fi and muffled, "Strong Come On" has all the spirit of a live Oblivians show, and it reminded me of their energetic performances, which evoke cat calls and a wave of heat from the crowd. The Oblivians are everything rock is about (or should be about).
"Strong Come On" is Memphis-style punk, with scratchy, moaned, fuzzed vocals, and Ramonesesque guitar riffs. However, even as I make this statement, I kick myself, because the music the Oblivians play is all their own. Forget the comparisons to the Blues Explosion - The Oblivians do it harder and dirtier.
As far as the B-sides go, well ... "Let Him Try" contains even more raw, unintelligible lyrics, and "Black September" further proves the Oblivians can still deliver. This is where it's at if you're looking for catchy, southern punk blues. Just try and keep still while listening to this.
And after you've digested this one, buy the new CD, too. (Fen Hsiao)
Good Riddance
There are a couple things that I've noticed seem to be missing from the West Coast music scene: One is a person, or group of people who call themselves straight edge, and the other is a straight edge, vegan punk band.
Well, Good Riddance is a hardcore punk band from Santa Cruz, Calif., that plays extremely intense and melodic music while staying true to their beliefs of a substance-free lifestyle. I know these terms (straight edge and veganism) might be confusing or foreign to some of you crack-smoking fraternity guys out there but you could really learn something by listening to this music. For those of you who don't know, straight edge is a commitment to a substance-free lifestyle, and veganism is the avoidance of consuming any meat, egg or dairy products. Well, enough of these ramblings. Let's just get to the album review.
On A Comprehensive Guide To Moderne Rebellion, Good Riddance shows that they can play melodic fast punk and then slow the tempo down and play some vicious and intense hardcore. What I mean is that they can play a song such as "Weight of the World," which is a speedy punk number, and then come back with a slow groove song like "Steps." Besides these two highlights, there are also many other songs on this album that make this album a must-have for hardcore and punk enthusiasts around the world.
Live, Good Riddance is definitely a sight to see. I recently saw them play in Harvard Square with another great band called Ignite, and they were amazing. The whole band was extremely tight and really intense throughout the whole set. The singer Russ sings with a passion, and you can tell he is really into the music and the scene because he shows great appreciation for his fans. That is what the whole Good Riddance vibe is about - friendship and unity. Even if you don't agree with their views, at least have respect. They are making a change, something that cannot be said about many people in this country. (Andrew Berenson)
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