DROP “HE DOESN’T KNOW HE’S A TRENDY”….An old Union Jack triumph of the marriage between razor-sharp punk and cheap analog electronics yet a brand new discovery for me -- my reissue pick of the week! This 1980 song from the wholly unknown UK band DROP is the British equivalent of the world-beating, cartoony futurecore robot punk classic “Ladies With Appliances” by DOW JONES & THE INDUSTRIALS. Well OK, not that amazing, but pretty damn all right, and worth seeking out on the “TEENAGE TREATS Vol. 1” compilation. This CD comp (subheaded “Rare Punk Rock Vol. 1”, just about all of it British circa ’77-81) could be of dubious origin – no check that, there’s no doubt in my mind that it’s not legit, but at the same time, it’s packed with some real corkers. Like what? Like the aforementioned DROP track, like “Accidents” by the STEROID KIDDIES, like “I’m The One” by WHITE SS – who sound like the early punk rock version of MC5-worshipping 1980s UK “grunge” band THEE HYPNOTICS. I wish that the best-titled track on here was better, but the title is so tough that you gotta hear it anyway: “Why Does Politics Turn Men Into Toads?” by TONE DEAF & THE IDIOTS. But you can’t lose music-wise or title-wise with “He Doesn’t Know He’s a Trendy” – Agony Shorthand says check it out.

posted by Jay H. at 7:04 PM