Dunno whether the title is accurate and this is truly their swan song or they’re just having a laugh at our expense, but if it is, indeed, true, then we are the worse off for it. In recent years they’ve gotten into a groove, of sorts, cranking out LPs that, while not always as manic or inspired as their earliest work, were solid additions to their recorded legacy, and this is no exception. Olga’s guitar work is as jaw-droppingly good as ever, Tommy Goober and Dave the Nut provide the requisite precision backing, and the lyrical subject matter remains silly, as evidenced by titles like “No One Knew the Real Emu,” and “The Death of Barry the Roofer with Vertigo.” This album’s cover tune of the Boomtown Rats’ “She’s So Modern” is serviceable at worst, and there are a couple of “bonus” tracks as well, “Tony Talks Tripe” and a re-recording of “Yul Brynner Was a Skinhead.” These guys are/were one of punk’s truly original voices and will be missed if this is their last hurrah.
–jimmy (SOS)