Simultaneously ridiculous (lyrics-wise) and spot-on (music-wise), this is one of the best homages and deflators of oi culture I’ve heard in long time. Much like JewDriver takes the undeniable musical power of Skrewdriver and turned it on its head (racism, for starters), Oil! spins tales of skinhead glory on its rubberized, metal-tipped boots, both commending the best of the culture (hey, at its best, it’s a definable belief system where beer’s involved and hippies are hated) and making fun of its over-used clichés (calling ladies “birds,” spending gross amounts for fashionable clothing that was once made for the working class, and not knowing how to cry.) In the end, yeah, it’s pretty damn good. I bet you could slip it on in the middle of the first Blitz record, classic 4-Skins, and the Cockney Rejects, and few people would be the wiser. It’s leagues better than that last Business record that Epitaph put out. At least these guys know there’s a joke involved. First 300 have sixteen-page booklet and silkscreened cover.
–todd (Noma Beach)