I don't know what I was expecting when I picked up Total Party Kill by Lollygagger... That's a lie. I knew these guys were going to be a couple of screwballs... I just didn't realize they'd be so tough-sounding. Don't get me wrong, Lollygagger have a sense of humor, but they are a couple of mean-sounding sons of bitches. Now, I'll go long stretches where I'll only listen to serious, professionally produced punk music- and Total Party Kill definitely reminds me of these records in terms of it's general aesthetic and attitude. But then I'll come across a band, and it will remind me that punk as a genre can just be all about the shits and giggles too- and Lollygagger are also that band. They kind of sound like a cartoon version of Red Fang crossed with what often sounds like Eric Saner of Mastodon embodying a bombastic nerd's revenge persona a la The Spits- sludgy riffs and deep-back water grooves, tag-teaming with aggressively elastic vocal performances that often cross the center line into full-blown manic meltdowns. Opener "Liar's Club" in particular resembles a cosmic slingshot that flings you across the universe while the malevolent interior monologue of an alien being is beamed into your consciousness from a nearby dying planet. "The Earldormen" feels like an ancient wrestling match with unassuaged, deeply rooted and undigestable emotions that manifests into a shadow self for whom you confront in a battle of apocalyptic wills to the tune of some thoroughly medieval guitar riffs. Then there is the granite-grained, psychedelic bass bombardment of "Stone," a number with the fatal rush of being kicked off the deck of a highrise by Perry Farrell and being forced to use your own lower intestine as a bungee chord in order to break your fall. Total Party Kill is a fun record, but make no mistake, it is fucking vicious! If someone puts this bastard on at an actual party, there are no guaranteed survivors.
With What's For Breakfast? Records you can have breakfast any time!