I don’t know if “ska” is the best term to describe the music that UK band Citizen Fish throws down. While the band has the horns and bouncing beats inherent to the style, they are so much more as a whole. To me, the band sounds like a weird cross breed of The Brian Setzer Orchestra and the educated Sex Pistols. Their singer, simply listed in the liner notes as “Dick,” adds what I’d call a little Irish accent to the mix that gives the band the feel of something you might run across in a dirty London pub.
Their new CD Deadline, a “split” album with New York hardcore purveyors Leftover Crack, is a powerhouse collection of songs proving, despite the frequent whining of mainstream music fans, there are still some great politically charged bands out there, if you know where to look. Fat Wreck Chord Records obviously does.
Citizen Fish’s portion of the CD starts out with a battle cry for the working class in the form of “Working on the Inside” and goes on to assail the Government and Corporate ideals on songs like “Join the Dots,” about the misdirected war on drugs, and the self-explanatory tirade “Clear Channel (Fuck Off).”
The Leftover Crack half of the CD is even more abrasive and politically incorrect. The horns go out the window and the band beats down listeners with song titles like “Baby Punchers,” and the hilarious “…And Out Comes the N-Bomb.” Don’t let the title fool you though, these aren’t useless fits of unrestrained anger like Insane Clown Posse might record for instance, but rather well thought out, albeit sometimes vulgar, social statements.
It’s good to see there are still some kick-ass, disenfranchised bands left in the world. Deadline sees both Citizen Fish and Leftover Crack on top of their games and on top of anyone who gets in their way. Split CDs are a great thing and Deadline is another great release from Fat Wreck Chord Records.
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Article comments
1 - chris
If you actually knew what you were talking about, there is no way you could enjoy this album.
LoC has become a tired joke, and any material written after Look Who's Talking Now sounds like Blink-182 with a smelly crusty guy singing
seriously, anything new cant hold up to their old stuff and while they were great in Medicore Generica, they are anything but now.
Morning Glory is so much more preferable, since they haven't changed their sound drastically, and also sounds infinitely better
most current crack rock steady bands beat the shit out of Leftover Crack, which is sad because at least 3 members were the original creators of the sound
as to "there are still some kick-ass, disenfranchised bands left in the world," you have no sense of punk in its current manifestation
if you did, you would know that there are many, if you actually look for them
this review is a can of wank
2 - Brandon Daviet
"Chris" so Succinctly...
"If you actually knew what you were talking about, there is no way you could enjoy this album.
LoC has become a tired joke, and any material written after Look Who's Talking Now sounds like Blink-182 with a smelly crusty guy singing
seriously, anything new cant hold up to their old stuff and while they were great in Medicore Generica, they are anything but now.
Morning Glory is so much more preferable, since they haven't changed their sound drastically, and also sounds infinitely better
most current crack rock steady bands beat the shit out of Leftover Crack, which is sad because at least 3 members were the original creators of the sound
as to "there are still some kick-ass, disenfranchised bands left in the world," you have no sense of punk in its current manifestation
if you did, you would know that there are many, if you actually look for them"
this review is a can of wank"
Of please forgive me mighty punk rock expert for not sharing your god-like opinion. Please don't have your DIY punk rock buddies TP my house. The ignorance in your comment is a "Can of Wank" Thanks for the term though I think I'll start using that
3 - holidayincambodia
ummm? your aware clear channel fuck off is a loc song. right.
4 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
"most current crack rock steady bands..."
Please name some because I loved Choking Victim and I was sorry to see them go. I didn't care for Left Over Crack...
"and the self-explanatory tirade “Clear Channel (Fuck Off)."
Maybe he was thinking about "500 Channels" from Choking Victim?
5 - Brandon Daviet
holidayincambodia said:
"ummm? your aware clear channel fuck off is a loc song. right."
This is just an false comment, "Clear Channel (Fuck)" is clearly marked as Track #7 by Citizen Fish on the CD and Amazons wedsite listing the tracks.
It sounds like Dick singing to me. Anyway. I suppose a mis-print is possible but I really think you "Holiday in Cambodia" (I didn't know anyone still like S. Reich) has gone to your head.
Especially since right after that song there is a "skit" that bassicaly describes the change between bands.
Your comment is a mis-informed "can of wank..."
6 - chris
""ummm? your aware clear channel fuck off is a loc song. right."
This is just an false comment, "Clear Channel (Fuck)" is clearly marked as Track #7 by Citizen Fish on the CD and Amazons wedsite listing the tracks." it was originally a LoC song on Fuck World Trade
do some actual research next time, moron
""most current crack rock steady bands..."
Please name some because I loved Choking Victim and I was sorry to see them go. I didn't care for Left Over Crack..."
InDK (came out of CV, Ezra is the singer, skwert drummed)
Morning Glory (what InDK turned into)
The Infested
The Foamers
Dancehall Satan
Infinite Justice
Atrocity Solution
No-Cash
The Stupid Stupid Henchmen
B-Squad
those are the best i've heard
as to "Oh please forgive me mighty punk rock expert for not sharing your god-like opinion"
i dont even listen to punk, homey dbeat/crust is as close as i get
but everyone, and i mean everyone disliked this album it sounds nothing like LoC's older stuff and is so much more watered down
i think sturge is running out of ideas or something if you want a good LoC album, Medicore Generica, Fuck World Trade, and Rock The 40oz all are much better than deadline
7 - kill cops137
actually the only crack rock steady bands are loc..cv..mg and indk..all the other bands were friends and or rip offs of them..american distress is a pretty cool band too(skwert's band) and yea this cd does sound like blink with crusty vocals haha but i dont mind it..i definatly prefer the older shit alot better..and as for brandon..sorry but do not do reviews unless you know about the band and know that on the cd citizen fish covered a song from Leftover Crack(clear channel) and a song from their older band Choking Victim(Money)..and Leftover Crack did the same thing..a Citizen Fish Cover( Supermarket Song) and a Subhumans cover (Reason of Existence)..maybe you should have known that and added it into the review? haha
8 - kill cops137
*** forgot to mention that the crack rock steady was just the 7 members that were in CV and Loc And Mg and Indk and loc use the name sometimes to play shows in clubs theyre banned from..not a genre with a bunch of bands in it
9 - Brandon Daviet
In response to Killcops137's comments.
Look the record company is happy I did the review and thats all that matters to me. No I have never heard either of these bads before this, sure I knew the names of these bands but thats it, i don't normally listen to this kind of music.
If you are so unhappy with the review write one yoursel, i welcome your comments but pointless insults are just that.
10 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
"*** forgot to mention that the crack rock steady was just the 7 members that were in CV and Loc...not a genre with a bunch of bands in it"
Yea, I think I have to agree with Kill Cops there, I listened to some of the listed bands and they are definitely missing the metal influence that CV had(the reggae & Ska influences as well).
Plus, most of 'em really kinda suck! CV'99 & VGS'95 were fucking fanatic-tastic...Truly pioneering for their time.
Oh well, looks like I will have to be stuck listening to CV & Firme from VGS to fuel those old memories.
*Ahh, what happened to punk?*
11 - chris
"*** forgot to mention that the crack rock steady was just the 7 members that were in CV and Loc And Mg and Indk and loc use the name sometimes to play shows in clubs theyre banned from..not a genre with a bunch of bands in it"
thats the Crack Rock Steady 7
in some interview, stizz said that it was like he imagined a ska rude bwoy puffin on a crack pipe and that was crack rock steady
and all the bands that have taken what CV and LoC did and went on with it fit into the genre they created
basically its skacore with an anti-school anti-cop anti-corporate anti-war message
12 - ASSHOLE
[Edited]
AT LEAST THEY'RE DOING SOMETHING WITH THEIR LIVES INSTEAD OF JACKONG OFF TO COMPUTER PORN [Edited]!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
13 - Fish not Bombs
Um, Dick Lucas isn't Irish and yeah, LOC is shit.
14 - Rodger
LöC & Citizen fish are both great bands. You all need to stop being fucking nerds.
15 - nik
whoever reviewed this is really fucking retarded. clear channel (fuck off!) is the opening track of fuck world trade by leftover crack. it's a leftover crack song that citizen fish covered. money is choking victim cover. reason for existence is a subhumans cover. the supermarket song is a citizen fish cover. you can't argue with that shit cause it's all right so take your witty remarks are forcibly insert them into your anus.
16 - StinkyWardo
the album was eh. not much more. how the albums come up on my library goes from mediocre generica to deadline and the drastic change is almost sickening. i love punk and almost all of it's branches but. essentially this album (atleast on the LoC side) was just filler to make some cash to spend on drugs or whatever. this album is one of the many reasons why "Punk is Dead" because for most of the bands out there, its not about the music or your message anymore it's about "hey i cant play an instrument good, and i wanna be on MTV...Let's start a punk band." Thats what punk has become sadly and unless real punks put forth a real effort this is what our grand children are gonna be callin "Real Punk"
17 - jonno
The statement "Punk is Dead" is a "can of wank"