VARIOUS ARTISTS – Crustacean Records Compilation 2009 – Fuck With The Crab, Get The Claws
For about the past decade and a half Crustacean Records has done an admirable job of providing an asylum for many of the best underground rock musicians that reside around the Midwest, and this CD is a great introduction to the scene for those who haven’t had the pleasure of catching most of these bands at a local club.
On showcase is the tremendous variety of music that the Midwest has been granted; The Giraffes have a Reverend Horton Heat style punkabilly feel to them, Droids Attack pummel their audiences with Black Sabbathy stoner rock grooves, and the Soviettes were a mostly female bunch of poppy punkers. Names like Mad Trucker Gone Mad, The Skintones, and Drunk Drivers should be familiar to anyone who has even slightly dipped their toes in the local scene.
It’s fitting that there’s a live track here from legendary Madison grungers Killdozer, as their mantra of “why play it fast?” has influenced countless imitators in the Wisconsin area and undoubtedly some of the talented acts on this comp.
As enjoyable as this collection is, many of these artists’ true strength resides in their live performances; bands like Screamin’ Cyn Cyn & The Pons and Birthday Suits will always be more recognized for their galvanizing shows that must be seen to be believed, and no audio recording could do them justice.
With the emergence of digital distribution, marketing CDs is becoming a less and less lucrative business by the hour but Crustacean still soldiers on.
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