Don’t let the name fool you into thinking this is a hardcore band. This is the 25th anniversary re-issue of some of the best Canadian pop with punk sensibilities (spiky pop) ever released. I put this up on a pedestal with The Go-Go’s Beauty and the Beat, The Vapors New Clear Day, and Elvis Costello’s My Aim Is True. Non-sappy, exciting, timeless (well, two and half decades with no sign of obvious wear) pop that, if you’re in the mood to sing along to instead of shaking your fist to, you can’t go wrong with. Great for dates, also great as “ambassador music,” music you can introduce to people who “don’t really like punk,” so they’ll soften up a little bit before you turn up the heat. Geek notes: Dimwit, drummer of the Subhumans, joined them pretty early on and the songs off of their 7” are the bonus tracks.
–todd (Sudden Death)