/Brain Failure split,
Big D & The Kids Table'Beijing To Boston' features six new and previously unreleased songs by Big D and the Kids Table and China's punk pioneers, Brain Failure. Brain Failure is credited with starting the punk movement in China and actually became the first band from China to tour the US. The split, released in the UK on Household Name, also features guest appearances by Dicky Barrett of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Marc Orrell and Ken Casey of Dropkick Murphys, the latter of who produced the Brain Failure portion of the record.
Brain Failure go first with six punchy punk rock songs that are probably more aggressive than you'd expect. At least they were more 'hardcore' sounding than I was expecting. 'Time To Go', featuring Ken Casey, is a standout, while 'Coming Down To Beijing' is another cracker. They manage to flick back to a more reggae/ska sound on 'Fall In Love 2008' which I have a feeling may well become a favourite. Having never heard of the band before, this is a welcome introduction.
Many people will have heard of Big D and so I won't rattle on for too long about what the band sound like. 'Strictly Rude' was the band's last full-length and was much better than I anticipated, having only really enjoyed 'LAX' when I'd come across the band previously. The tracks here have strong lyrical messages - 'Faded' talks about the slide of the punk rock scene, while 'I'm Yours Boston' is a homage to their hometown. They're fast and furious and gallop through the songs with an abundance of energy which you wouldn't usually associate with 'ska' influenced groups. Still, fans of Big D will enjoy this and Brain Failure are also worth checking out, making this an EP worthy of your cash.
» Official Website
