Too Late...No Friends
is by no means a
punk rock
classic. But it is a wonderful introduction to the genre for 15-year-old boys who should know better. The album blasts out 20 tracks in under an hour, none breaking the three-minute mark. There's plenty of dual vocal/guitar interplay between co-frontmen
Tom
and
Theo
, liberal use of cuss words, and even a few cheekily snotty song titles (
"Custard's Last 1 Nite Stand,"
"Censorshit"
). Unlike
the Clash
or
the Sex Pistols
, both obvious influences,
Gob
is neither political nor very anti-establishment. Their agenda is delivered through anthems like
"Fuck Them,"
"Asshole T.V.,"
"Leave Me Alone"
; it wouldn't be surprising if a song called "Hell No, I Won't Clean My Room" was next. Their desires are also clear (
"I Want You Back Baby,"
"You're Too Cool"
). The social and cultural underpinnings that drove their sonic forebears aren't relevant to
, or their young fans. It's the genre's stylistic elements -- transmuted through buzz-saw guitars and snide vocals -- that are important.
is
, squeegee'd clean. ~ Johnny Loftus