Review by: Martin Brown
What could be better! We break up for Christmas, I’m just about to sit down to my revision, and suddenly Punk Rock Disc 3 drops through my letterbox!! Better review it then. Vanilla Pod’s song, “Last Level Coming” is, I think, the first new release since their CD. This is a different beast altogether, far more anthemic than the stuff on “Faster Disco”, which if anything shows a lot more maturity in the band’s sound. I may learn to adore this track. Sunfactor’s song (credited as “And the Rain Fell Down”, although it’s been previously released as “The Rain that Fell Today”) is probably my fave song of theirs. The guitars swirl together, the vocals are just right and you’re left feeling relaxed and awed at the same time. Ending side A is Mos Eisley’s “Indifference”, which is heavy, abrasive, gritty, pop punk in the style of pogo-pop bands like The Rezillos. This is a great change from the two more intense songs, and I know that a lot of people will hate it, but for me it’s one of the best on the disc. Starting side two are the golden boys of the scene I belong to. I do of course refer to Croydon; I do of course refer to Grand Central. Their song (the amazing “Solid State Memory”) is lifted straight from the demo, and I can’t deny that I did feel a little full of myself when I finally heard the band who I first recommended to Rich pressed on one of his singles. But enough. The song is superb, but then you know that. Onto UK pop punk act, Lovejunk, who are on snotty, chuggy, and pretty fucking decent form with their dirty rock n roll song, “Let it Slide”.And finally, closing it off are the brilliant Scottish pop punk band, Turtlehead, who get a prize for being the first band I’ve heard to cover “Hey Suburbia” by Screeching Weasel and not murder it. If anything, this version is pretty damn special, complete with tempo change, and extra backing vocal bits! In conclusion, this is leaps and bounds ahead of Disc 2: the American accents are gone, the songs have been polished, and everything is beautiful! Thanks Rich!!