Customer Reviews

Human Atom Bombs

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first heard these guys with my annual purchase of Epitaph's latest Punk-O-Rama compilation (number 7 I believe), on the track "Addicts of Communication," a blistering Buzzcocks-style rave-up. My infatuation with all things "Garage" and "Swedish" which started with the Hives continued with these fellows, and I'm quite happy with the results.

The songs live up to the album title's name, each one an explosion of punk energy coupled with a highly melodic sensibility. A lot of the songs have a 50s rock'n'roll kind of feel to them. In fact the title track is a homage of sorts to Little Richard.

All in all, a great collection of punk/garage tunes from Randy. If you like the Hives and want more music in this style, definitely check it out!

o.k i ve never heard of randy before but gosh darn it i'l lie and say i have, cuz they rock. this is an amazing album. it's got catchy chorus's like in "addicts of communication" and "shape up". and strong political lyrics like in "proletarin hop". i strongly suggest this album to anyone needing a bit of political punk rock in their system. through their lyrics they do send a strong message about politics and governments which makes you think. hey, and did i mention they're from sweeden???

This is a DAMN good CD! If you want me to elaborate, I won't, so just buy it and see what I'm talking about.

For the record, Randy is a cool band. I've heard their albums, I've seen them live, and I can vouch that they are a top-notch act (especially live). Their previous release, You Can't Keep a Good Band Down (G7 Welcoming Committee), was a welcome one. It was punk n' roll with groove-happy Thin Lizzy-style guitars. It contained a strong socialistic message, yet it was a lot of fun at the same time. The Human Atom Bombs finds the Swedish blokes tweaking things a bit. The sound is influenced much more by classic `50s rock n' roll than classic `70s rock. Furthermore, the message isn't as strong and the fun has been increased. Wheee!
Seems these guys have been heavily dipping into the old time rock n' roll. Little Richard, Chubby Checker and all the rest - Randy was obviously impressed with the energy of these original rockers. The band wears this new influence proudly on its sleeve for much of this album. `Specially the back half of the album gets into the "good old rockin' days." Songs like "Chicken Shack" and "The Heebie Jeebies (Diall 911)," and the title track definitely woulda made Little Richard proud - they have an infectious raw energy that'll surely get your foot stomping firmly on the floor. Other tracks are more traditionally punk ("Addicts of Communication") and others still ("Karl Marx and History") are similar to the `70s classic rock influenced swing of Randy's last album. A purposely-rough production job successfully gives the album a very garage-punk sound. Everything is kinda loose and distorted - even the vocals, and it often seems like the band's gonna jump right out of the speakers..

The only thing that significantly detracts from the appeal of The Human Atom Bombs are the sometimes-cheesy lyrics. The abundance of references to "punk rock" seems uncalled for, like the band is pandering to a young "punk" crowd, trying to eliminate any doubt that they are, in fact, a genuine punk band. Songs like "Punk Rock City" and "The Punk Rock Flu" are obvious examples of this. "The Summer of Bros" is also a big cheese-fest with its repetitive chorus of "It's the summer of bros, ah uh..."

This album isn't nearly as seamless and smooth as You Can't Keep a Good Band Down, but if you can look past the lyrical pitfalls, you might find that The Human Atom Bombs and Randy is a great alternative to many of the other active, popular bands that are calling themselves "punk."

I just saw these guys live and they totally out played and out preformed Propagandhi. If you like your punkrock fun, political and fused with rock'n'roll, jazz, and blues, you have to check these guys out. Loses a star for not being very original, but it's damn well executed. (SEE THEM LIVE!)

This cd is, just amazing. Thats the only way to describe this. It's a masterpiece. I was never really a fan of Randy's music before, but this cd has everything. Every single song is different, but has that old school rock influence/feel. There's a song for everyone here. Some of the best cuts are "I Don't Need Love", "Karl Marx and History", "Addicts of Communication", and "Punk Rock City".

Another great album by this great punk band. Following The rest is silence and Can't keep a good band down, Randy continues to bring us great material. Every song has something special, like every song Randy has done in the past.