The Distillers - Sing Sing Death House

I’ve never liked straight up punk music. Of course everyone has their snarly side where the Ramones, Sex Pistols and the Clash reign supreme, but never have Pennywise, NOFX or any other mohawked ‘90s punks found a comfortable position in my musical milieu. So why do I like this fucking record so much? In all respects I should dislike the Distillers who raise punk’s antagonistic clenched fist to smash corporeal suits and square mainstream musicians. But with Sing Sing Death House, their sophomore chord sweltering powerhouse, these four pierced, tattered and tattooed fist flyers – to paraphrase Refused – definitely have a bone to pick and a few to break – and I actually like the pain. As a prerequisite to mentioning the Distillers, you have to cite Manic Panic punk pioneers of Rancid. Not only does Sing Sing Death House slash a few chords from the band, but Brody – the Distillers’ vocalist/guitarist/sole songwriter – is married to Tim Armstrong, Rancid’s leader. And it shows. You wouldn’t expect any less from Tim’s lifemate – her voice sounds like two grit sandpaper bruising the microphone, her guitar punches punk’s gut with snarling whiplash and her lyrics feature freedom-influence scream-a-longs. Or as Hell Cat, their respective label, states it, “that feeling when the German Shepard sinks its teeth into your nuts.” Works for me. But for every one minute scorcher that literally screams by [“Hate Me”], there is a track brimming with sour melodics that stick to your mind like a trauma [“City of Angels”]. This is everything punk is and always has been – pseudo-sloppiness, anguished dispositions and caffeinated rhythms – but with more sticks of dynamite and a much bigger detonation device. Sing Sing Death House marches with a middle finger raised high as a homage to its forefathers and thrashes with rusty chords that would kick the shit out of everyone in its path while putting an invigoration top spin on a three decade old genre. Love them or hate them; the Distillers are here. [www.thedistillers.com]