I saw these Nipponese stalwarts a number of years ago and came away thinking that they were decent for what they did (somewhat poppish [and vaguely rock’n’rolly] punk, albeit nothing so overtly poppy as to completely offend one’s ever-so-sensitive garage punk buddies) but nothing so unique one’d necessarily battle a baboon to hear it again. Reflecting Board, in marked contrast, is pretty darn advanced. Although YPB lack the ferocity of fabled countrymen like the Registrators or Firestarter, this record is redolent enough of Sixteen Wires from the New Provocate I don’t think it’s utter lunacy to consider mentioning Your Pest Band in that conversation anymore. Then again, in spots this also reminds me of decent-enough major label bands of forty years ago like the Kings (or, perhaps more logically, the Starjets), and I don’t know how that’s even possible considering I can’t understand a word the guy’s saying, so perhaps I have encephalitis or something. The song titles are rather opaque and emo-esque, so they’re not much of a road map, either. I think I’d like to take my Your Pest Band records the same way I take my 1954 Godzilla movies: In Japanese with English subtitles and no Raymond Burr. BEST SONG: “Blind Lane.” BEST SONG TITLE: “Every Arithmetic” because math is cool. FANTASTIC AMAZING TRIVIA FACT: A spectrum band of color accenting a record label with a black background will never go out of style!–Rev. Nørb (Dead Broke)