Punk-O-Rama 8 scores yet another excellent review!
Oh my God. I can't believe it. I'm about to give something a positive review. It's Punk-O-Rama 8 (POR 8), the newest in Epitaph's long-standing line of punk rock compilations. And, oh sweet gizzards, is this the fucking bomb!
Like any compilation album from a record label, POR 8 is just the way to promote a ton of bands that are on that label, all at once. Thing is, almost every band on this album comes barreling out of my speakers like a pissed off, horny truck driver in a pet store that just ran out of chihuahuas! Normally, that would suck. But in this case it's awesome! And it's on two discs! TWO of them! That's 32 tracks of spitting, shit-talking, ass-reaming music! Ass-reaming in the "Wow, this rocks!" sense. Not the "Oops, I dropped the soap!" sense.
Of course, punk staples like Rancid, NOFX, Bad Religion, Pennywise, and The Dropkick Murphys are all present. But then there are the dope-ass offshoots as well, like Randy, The Distillers, and Bombshell Rocks. The Transplants even stop by to leave a bloody boot-mark on your forehead.
But what really wins me over with POR 8 is the presence of something near and dear to my disco-broiled heart: hip-hop. That's right. POR 8 features an Atmosphere song I'd never heard before, which left me panting for more, more, more! And there's a track by Sage Francis on here that rivals Mr. Lif's "Home of the Brave" as the most potent musical response to our government's actions after September 11th.
Oh, shit! I almost forgot to mention The Black Keys. They're on here, too, with the title track from their latest LP, Thickfreakness. Man, it's blues music so funky, it'll have you pinned to the floor, naked and spread eagle before the first chorus. It's just so heavy and wet, like a tongue, but broader! It's just so thick and freaky,.. well, it's thickfreakness! The name says it all!
So definitely check out POR 8. With a yak-load more bands than I mentioned here, it's like a musical buffet,.. and they just brought out a new pan of bacon!
-Debbie
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