Remember those freakish laughing clowns that could be found at pikey seaside fairs? They found everything hilarious. Be it a small child sticking his middle finger up or someone doing a jig. As long as you banged in 20p they found it all side splittingly funny regardless of the situation. But would they find Pink Razors funny? I think they would barely give it a whimper.
This is Chixdiggits return after nearly five years out the loop and they have returned with thirteen tracks of juvenile, no nonsense comedy punk. You know the drill by now, pick a subject, chuck in a catchy chorus and lace with mildy amusing song lyrics, all sandwiched between basic and dull music. It’s all straightforward and simple enough, but after a while the novelty wears off and it isn’t long before you’re reaching for the skip button.
It is a fun experience yes, but personally the last great fun punk album was the Vandals ‘Hitler Bad Vandals Good’ back in 1998. It was imaginative, filled with cracking song structure and melody but most importantly, it didn’t make you want to pull your own spleen out upon repeat listens. This can’t be said for Pink Razors however. No subject is left vacant here including the catchy and infectious ‘Geocities Kitty’, an ode to meeting people off the internet and the slightly more impressive ‘J Crew’. But trying to differentiate too much between all the tracks is easier said than done as by the time ‘Earthquake’ rolls around everything has blurred into one big three chord mess.
One interesting saving grace is the ‘extra’ put on the end that is essentially a commentary by the band on the whole record. While it is initially an effort to listen to, it pays dividends by the end and proves quite an interesting critique by the band on what they have produced. But it isn’t quite enough and begs the question is their room left for comedy punk anymore. Most tend to receive mixed reviews at best, and Pink Razors doesn’t do a great deal to buck that trend. And unless something radical happens soon, not even the humble seaside clown will be smirking at the next installment.
Jay
www.chixdiggit.com
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