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The Exploding Fuck Dolls
Here’s To Your Fuck\r\n(DHD Records)
The Exploding Fuck Dolls were a ’90s SoCal punk band founded by infamous skaters/tattooists the Godoy twins — guitarist Art and drummer Steve. Their music was neither hardcore like you might think, nor the kind of pop-punk pablum that’s become popular in the wake of Green Day and Blink-182. Rather, it’s churning mid-tempo ’77-style crash and thump in the manner of the Ramones, Sex Pistols, Clash, and maybe a little Radio Birdman. Here’s To Your Fuck, a greatest hits collection, keeps that Fuck Dolls flame burning.
The EFD sound hews to eternal punk verities like razor-sharp guitar blast, relentless four-on-the-floor drums, vocals barked or declaimed, and just enough Hawthorne-via-Forest Hills pop sensibility to remind you that the same impulse that produced surf music is still alive in southern Cal.
The band went through members like some people change their underwear. The live ’92 version of “Let’s Go,” with original frontman Kevin Edman, zooms along nicely. Next, the EFD regrouped around singer Duane Peters, another prominent skater who went on to front U.S. Bombs and the Hunns. One Peters-era lineup included bassist Brad Logan, who now leads F-Minus. Peters’ vitriolic vocals recall Johnny Rotten, and the Pistols influence is strongest on the four tracks he sings here.
Between ’94 and ’97, the EFD went down to a three-piece, with the Godoys splitting vocal duties. “I’m Alright” and the surf-y instrumental “Summer Of ...” are standouts from this period. The terminal ’97-’98 lineup was fronted by Kris Swanson, whose anguished bark and rasp are unnervingly close to Joe Strummer’s (RIP) — so close that you mistake a song “Satellite” for an outtake from The Clash. Tough stuff. Order from DHD at 205 Santa Ana, Long Beach, CA 90803.
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