Various Artists- Local Anesthetic

Punk will always hold a place in my heart. It was the very first genre that opened my eyes to the fact that you can find music on your own without the guidance of the radio. I was in sixth when I first realized that there is a lot more music out there than Clear Channel would have you believe. This revelation is still clear to me, probably one of the most clear memories I have. I was skating back to my (best) friend Tommy's house from a stair set at a church when we started talking about punk bands-- I considered Good Charlotte to be punk then. He started talking about The Circle Jerks, Adicts, Black Flag, and I was amazed. I asked him how he had heard of the bands if they weren't on the radio; I don't remember Tommy's response, but I know it's nothing like how I respond today when I'm asked that question. We were younger so the question didn't seem insane-- and, well, Tommy has just never been the pompous ass that I always have been. From then on I started finding all sorts of new bands and styles that I might have never enjoyed if my buddy hadn't introduced me to Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables, Group Sex (on vinyl even), Damaged, etc. Lately I've been revisiting these classics and discovering a bunch of other punk albums. It started out of nostalgia but it progressed into me really appreciating a genre that I had "grown out of" in high school.

It was perfectly timed for me to receive Local Anesthetic, a new compilation comprised of ten Denver punk bands from the late 70s and early 80s. One of the challenges with compilations is that they generally cover a specific genre, time period, and/or place so sometimes they will get really stale really fast. Local Anesthetic actually manages to hold itself together throughout. To be completely honest, this album has not left my car stereo since I received it almost two weeks ago. One of the best things about the album (besides several stellar standalone tracks) is that it covers hardcore punk, the classic "rock n' roll rehash" punk sound, post-punk, No Wave-ish style punk, and even can border on New Wave at times.

I really can't believe that these bands and tracks didn't make it bigger in the punk scene. Hell, I had no clue that Denver had even had a thriving punk scene at any time. Local Anesthetic starts off with "My Dad's A Fucking Alcoholic" by Frantix. It's a pretty straight-forward, slowed down punk song. The thing that sets it apart is the way that the pace seems to be dragging rather than moving fluidly making "My Dad's A Fucking Alcoholic" take on an almost drunken feel. A few tracks later come "I Wanna Be You" by Your Funeral. "I Wanna Be You" blows me away every time because of its demented nuggets sound; jangly guitars wrapped in a thick haze, wah-wah bass, moaning, wailing vocals-- a pop song in a drug-addled state. Jeri Rossi brings an even more chilling sound on Your Funeral's "The Abyss". The most well-known name on Local Anesthetic is Allen Ginsberg who contributed two tracks with band The Gluons. Allen Ginsberg and The Gluons deliver two great tracks that are a commentary on world politics ("Birdbrain") and the family unit ("Sue Your Parents"). Although The Gluons tracks are great and very witty, they still can not even touch the tracks that are tied for my favorite tracks.

When I listen to Local Anesthetic I look forward to three tracks far more than any of the (many) other wonderful songs on this compilation-- Young Weasels' "Twist & Burn," Jeri Rossi's "It's A Mans Mans Mans World," and Nails' "Big Star." I think the reason why these three tracks stick out so much to me is because they are not only infectious but also completely unique. I could compare Young Weasels to Joy Division, Jeri Rossi to Mars, and Nails to... well, I have no clue who to even try with nails, but making connections to those bands still just does not seem right. It's useless trying to pin down an influence to these three bands because they have their own sound and their sound is really, really, really, damn good. Good enough to land these three tracks into my "best songs of all time" list (which I've never actually sat down to make).

Local Anesthetic accomplishes what most compilations aim for but often just can't achieve. Various Artist disk generally try to function as a "best of" and, even though there is usually plenty of material to put to use, most can not even accomplish this. Not only do Local Anesthetic's songs never fail to impress on their own but also as an album. Throughout its entirety, Local Anesthetic manages to hold a remarkably fluid transition through many styles and subjects.

I will be posting streams of my three favorite tracks here once they finish uploading. Enjoy.

Visit Smooch Records' website to pick-up a copy:
http://www.smoochrecords.com/releases.html#smooch018