There
are those in our scene who you just have
to smile at and be grateful are still throwing it down, and Kat Ex and
Jon Langford are two of them for sure. Even if you’re too young (like
me)
to have experienced the beginning of it all first hand, you have to
raise your fists (and you will) to a duo of punk rock legends who,
between the two of them, have released over 40 full length albums with
their still touring first wave punk bands, The Mekons and The Ex.
The 1-2 punch of the KatJon Band’s guitar/vocal/drums pummels through
with the wonderful and urgent sound of a pair soldiering for social
justice and accountability. These are tunes to groove your shoulders
and hips and listen to the chants of two very cool voices that observe
a
world that puts profit before honesty and the common man. Lurking
between some of those grooves marches an avant-garde uneasiness
reminiscent of the Velvet Underground and Fugazi.
The album begins with the track, “Do You,” which displays gorgeously
chunky guitar, wild frantic drum kicks, and lyrics of the irony of
consumerism. “Bad Apples” rolls out the groove carpet like a snake from
a pit looking for someone to take responsibility for the shit and
destruction we collectively wake up to every morning. The next track,
“Crackheads Beware,” takes the social assault to straight up shouts for
a better life and a world less fucked. “Moonscape,” the following
track, is writhing and rhythmic with an awesome open drumming pattern
that sounds like a smoky jazz cellar. Kat Ex’s drumming styles are
fucking amazing throughout the entire album; her prowess creating a
harmony between classic English Punk and African Tribal rhytmns on
several tracks.
The album ends with Jon Langford’s bone chilling punk-rock-glory voice
singing “No traitor’s here,
we’ll keep the red flag flyin’ in the air.” Heed the battle cry!
Matthew M. Matheson
2980 West 8th
Ave
Vancouver BC,
Canada
V6K 2C1
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