Reviewed on Oct 8, 2005 by Smooth Steve

Throw Rag are still a relatively unknown band on European soil. Some of you might have caught them opening up for the Mad Caddies on their 2004 European tour. In the US, their records are released by BYO, while Kung Fu Europe handles the distribution of this latest effort for Europe.

Throw Rag play a rather unique brand of punkrock, combining snotty (sometimes a bit reminiscent of the Dwarves) punkrock with some hillbilly and country influences. They certainly wear their redneck roots proudly on their sleeves, hehe. The band even incorporates a washboard, a bugle, a jaw harp etc. in some of their tunes. Overall, it all sounds very in-your-face and snotty, shortly put: the way I like it. (And I like it a lot!) The vocals are very effective and sound really energetic. Extra vocal help on some tracks is offered by Lemmy of Mötorhead (hell yeah!), Keith Morris of the incredible Circle Jerks and Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys fame. How ‘s that for an all-star line-up, huh?

There ‘s quite a lot of variety in the songwriting, varying from uptempo punkrock songs like opening track ‘Swingset superman’, rock ‘n roll guitars on ‘Lil’ danny’, some hardcore riffing on tracks like ‘Bobby Wayne’ all the way down to slow southern rock on ’Tonight, the bottle let me down’ (which is in fact a coversong of the blues/country legend Merle Haggard). Hell, this baby even offers plain ol’country tunes! Throw Rag prove a great sense of humour on this album, which is always very likeable in a band. I’m not going to ruin any of the jokes for you, just check it out for yourself. The European version of this album is enhanced with a couple of bonus tracks, one of which a live audio track and even a video bonus track. Both these songs show how tight and entertaining Throw Rag is as a live band and are proof that they certainly succeed in putting up one hell of a show!

The production is done exactly the way I like it: the songs sound raw and dirty, but still tight as hell. The instruments are all very clearly audible without compromising the sound as a whole. Producer Cameron Webb sure did a very good job.

If you like your punk raw and dirty and don’t mind a band that tries to bring some different elements into the game, you ‘ll certainly be in love with this record and shouldn ‘t hesitate a second to buy it! It certainly is one of the most refreshing punk albums I ‘ve heard the past couple of years. And shit... if Lemmy likes it, who do you think YOU are to disagree?!? ;-)

Related Links:

• www.throwrag.com
• www.byorecords.com
• www.kungfurecords.com

1. Swingset superman
2. She don't want to (She don't care)
3. Lil' Danny
4. Trouble
5. Bobby Wayne
6. Tonight, the bottle let me down
7. Rotten me
8. Highway 86
9. Radio romantica
10. Sad girl
11. SO. 5TH ST. (country in O.G.)
12. Sex war
13. The promise
14. Children of the secret state
15. Rule maker (live)
16. Mission's message (bonus video track)

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