Dead End “DEII”

(Alternative Tentacles) Not sure how you count generations of punk. It was certainly short in the late 70s and early 80s, maybe 18 months a generation (the new kids from 1985 were pathetic latecomers to the 1983 punks, and don’t think of associating them with the 1980 bands, and so on). In the 90s and beyond with the recycling of styles and mainstreaming of punk and CDs flooding where vinyl trickled, then online music drowning that flood in an ocean of sounds, maybe generations stopped mattering. Anyhoo, all that is to say that a Chicago punk supergroup made up of members of AOF (1981 vintage), Alkaline Trio (1997), The Bomb (1999) and Rise Against (2001) is bridging two genrations, but certainly not consecutive generations. Bondi sounds great on this EP, howling like a pissed off madman. His bandmates don’t try to drag him into any 90s trends, but when their melodic instincts kick in (like in the band’s band name theme song…always a good idea) it’s really compelling. The most chanty, catchy tune, “Indefinite Detention,” also does the best job of getting the political points across clearly, which is a good lesson for activists and politicians…a spoonful of sugar! The only real disappointment is that their best song title, and best 80s-style hardcore tune,  “Ayn Rand Chicken Sandwich,” does not come with an accompanying recipe, just some vitriolic lyrics shaming closeted gay Republicans. If Bobby Seale could put out a barbecue book why can't radical 80s Chicago rockers teach us to cook as well? Vic and Albini might not agree on a lot, but we can all agree that they both must have some healthy dietary habits, they look great! Share your secrets!