Various: Resistance

Various: Resistance
Label: Factory13/No Front Teeth
Release Date: 2003
Review Date: 2003

From London England and Cleveland U.S.A. comes the Resistance! Not content to promote anarcho-non-conformist skateboarding, Factory 13 has teemed up with No Front Teeth to promote anarcho-non-conformist skate rock. Resistance is a mix of studio and live recordings from the Americas and the UK. Those familiar with Thrasher’s early Skate Rock compilations will certainly find themselves at home here. This is a lot rougher around the edges than some more recent radio-friendly “skate rock” compilations. Added to the palate of traditional west coast or American hardcore sounds like JFA (3 live tracks) the Smut Peddlers, and Hunns are some distinctly English sounding punk bands that harken back to roots at the dawn of the eighties. The sound quality varies from demo tapes that sound like they were recorded on a boom box to semi lush studio productions, And some songs and bands are better than others.. Some that stand out are the Curb Slappys, the River City Rebels, the Ruiners ( Detroit Surfer Boy!). The H-100’s (or plain H-100’s) deliver fastand humorous hardcore with a unique and hilarious delivery not unlike JFA in spirit. Etc’s Screaming song is betrayed by title that fails to hint at the level of thought in the song. They might be one to watch for. Don’t forget the Briefs! It’s a song from their first album, but it’s still the Briefs! I still can’t figure out what is going on with the jabs track (pun intended) D.J. Aids. Homophobia aside, it’s a bizarre recording. In addition to Brit punk and American-style hardcore there are a couple of more loose rock and roll numbers that were always a staple in similar compilations. On the down side, the CD was mastered in a way that often tacks the first half second or so of the beginning of a song at the end of the previous song. Not a big deal on a CD player, but if you’re a geek like me it makes computer playback awkward, and reminds me that I should be beaten for bringing that up. My biggest complaint with Resistance is the wide range of sound quality and recording levels, but that’s a small price to pay if you are dealing with a mostly underground release. Fight the good fight, and get yourself a copy of Resistance! For your shopping pleasure, Factory 13 also has decks by the likes of JFA, the Briefs, and Disaster Records.

Online Action: www.bowlrider.com/factory13
Online Action: nofrontteeth.co.uk