Pears – Go To Prison LP/ CD (Fat Wreck)
This lot don\’t stop for breath! Pears is basically an out-of-control punk machine fuelled by anything the seedy underbelly of their home town New Orleans will feed them. High-octane punk rock meets metallic riffs and lightning fast drumming, but despite appearances suggesting this would be a chaotic affair, they keep things on an extremely tight rein. Throughout the album there are little musical breaks that keep you on your toes and always on the lookout for the next surprise around the corner. Think of the frenzied tones of Leftover Crack, married with the melodies of Propagandhi and the gnarly rhythms of Western Addiction, but with the ability to throw in some sloppy punk here or there, and you end up with quite the unique mix. I like the band at their most melodic, with the Ramones-esque \”Judy Is A Punk\” being the hands-down winner for me, but I\’m probably in the minority as I can imagine songs like the out and out thrasher \”Little Bags\” being live favourites. Another excellent discovery by Fat Wreck. Tom Chapman