If Giant Haystacks were based out of London, they’d have been on the cover of the NME by now. Or at least been a single of the week. People toss around the Minutemen thing with them a lot, which is somewhat true, but I think they also fit in with a lot of the arty, angular pretty sweet rock that has been coming out of England in the last few years. If you toss in some Jam and/or Gang of Four with that Minutemen comparison you’ve got something closer to the truth about their sound. I fell a little out of love with these guys over the “A Rebirth of Our City” song on their 7” of the same name. Living in Oakland myself I didn’t exactly agree with some of the sentiments that I perceived were in the song. It sort of weighs on my mind when I think of them now. Anyway I get all sensitive some times about Oakland and what people think may be wrong or right for the city. Blah, blah, blah, East Bay politics. They’re still a good band and good people. The Outnauts from Japan back this thing up with some spastic feedback-peppered punk that you’d be paying $100 a 7” or 8” flexi for if it had come out in ‘85. Quite nice.
–Steve Stephenson (Snuffy Smiles)