It’s time to go ape my simian punk rock friends –
Champanzee is here!
If you look at reviews of Angry Itch over the last two years they have
at times been compared to the likes of Husker Du, Descendants, Nirvana, Angry
Samoans, NOFX, Green Day and some bastard offspring of a Dead Kennedy’s /
Mudhoney dalliance. And that is all apparent here on Champanzee.
But this is not a tick box exercise in gaining punk rock credentials. The
boys have been working hard (and playing hard as you will know if you have
caught them live over the last year or so) and that hard work has paid off with
the mother of all debut albums. Champanzee is like the best road trip
you’ve ever been on – pedal to the metal flat out at times, not afraid to hit
the grungy backwaters or head off road for a few extra spill and thrills before
winding its way back to the final destination where we all enjoy another beer
and good company.
The flow and cohesion of the album is almost sublime at
times, punk rock beating though out its primate core as it pushes out,
stretching the boundaries. It
kicks off with Bus Surfing, a slow burning start before picking up the pace and
igniting into life with John, Richard and Luke slamming the ground sprinting! Rise Again is up next and is one of four tracks
that make the transition from those earlier EPs and all have benefitted from
having the time to expand into the larger sound that is evident
throughout. If you don’t end up singing along with Rise Again and it’s call
and response finale then you’ve got your ear plugs in too tight. Don’t Be
A Dick has never sounded so venomous and angry.
Misery is breakneck stuff that explodes like a Catherine
wheel in a ball of sound and before you can catch your breath it’s all over. The Nirvana-esque Years Ago starts off slow
and brooding before spewing forth a vocal and melody that Kurt Cobain would
have died for!
Bristow Disco is a fun romper stomper of a song with the
catchiest sing-along Oi Oi Oi chorus since, well check any of the bands mentioned
earlier? If you thought hearing it live
was great wait until you hear this version. There’s a change of tempo
with the acoustic Lie In The Snow sounding like a melancholy love song for
times long faded. Heroes of Hate should
have been on the soundtrack to The Suicide Squad and achieves what Angry Itch
seem to achieve time and again – that is to imbed these infectious riffs and
lyrics in your brain, and then for days after you find yourself just singing
little snippets of the songs out loud – can be quite amusing in a supermarket queue
(as I know from personal experience)
Champanzee sounds like three best mates playing punk rock
and having the time of the lives which is exactly what they are doing.
You Me Us (Against the World) is the band sticking their flag in the ground and
shouting ‘no need to fight on your own’, together we can take on the world!
1st Floor has become a bit of a set closing classic already.
It sounds like a punk rock mantra for the best nights out and is the ideal
album closer – the only problem is you’ll want to listen to it all over again
as soon as it finishes whicj is not
really a problem at all so grab your drink come sit with me.
If this album had been released 35 years we
would now be voting it in our top 100 punk albums of all time! It really is that good that I can’t see
anyone not loving this album – regardless of what sub-genre you favour. So, if
like me, there’s too many albums to buy and not enough time / money then make
sure you pick up a copy of Champanzee ahead of anything else – you won’t be
disappointed. https://www.facebook.com/AngryItch
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