Customer Reviews

Taking the Rough With the Smooch [Vinyl]

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

 

 

This album runs the gamet of styles, shouty punk, swing, pure pop, spoken word, sometimes all in one song. Huggy Bear know the right combination of grrl/boi vocals to tap into your cerebral cortex. Hilight of the album - herjazz. "boi/grrl revolutionaries - you lied to me"

I bought this c.d. at a used record store not knowing what to expect (it was in a 6 c.d. for $5 bin). However, being intrigued simply by the cover, I had to check it out. Yes, the c.d. is only 22 minutes long (with 12 tracks, each track is, on average, 1.8 minutes long). However, each track seems *longer* than it actually is. I listened to this odd hodgepodge of punk, screaming, fighting, poetry, etc. by a group called huggy bear and felt as if I had just listened to a longer album. It has an entrancing effect. I had feared I would get no information on this unique band, but here I am. This record will blow you away. It will definitely be an oddity for the collection of everyone w/ an open mind.

Huggy bear were an explosive UK band whose music embraced the sounds of noisy punk rock with the voice of a revolutionary manifesto. the songs on Taking The Rough With The Smooch are in the vein of a more spazzed-out X-Ray Spex and even some old Sonic Youth sound (as evident on "Sizzlemeet" which sounds like it could have been one of the more racious tracks off of Daydream Nation). the vocals are intense and screamy and each song takes it's turn scrutinizing society's ills with an emphasis on personal (and mostly gender-specific) politics. while most of the songs are spikey, punked-out mini anthems, a few cuts are surprisingly thoughtful in their sound; such as the dreamy "Concrete Life" which romanticizes some fantasy involving violence toward a cop and then goes on to lament that "i'd rather cut off my arms off than see you going out with him." it comes across as being both tender, sleazy, and a little creepy. but with it's creaky guitar and random radio waves lulling along in the background, it's one of the standout tracks on the album. this is a really cool little record and an interesting artifact from the days of the Riot Grrl.

An amazing example of what happens when noise-rock meets politics. A fast gut wrenching album that more people need to listen to.

Call me cliched, but this is what 90's punk/indie is about: neighborhood kids with little or no musical talent scandalizing the music industry with a few atonal guitar tones, call and response promises of revolution, boy/girl vocals, and an all out-press block. They just don't do punk rock like this anymore. If you're looking for a great noise album or something slightly less self absorbed than CRASS, this is your pick over their final effort, Weaponry Listens to Love. If you want more songs and substance, pick WLtL over TtRw/tS; you'll miss out, however, on all the really anthemic riot-grrrl moments.

Of all the riot grrrl stuff this band is my favorite. I have lots of love and respect for the Olympia/D.C grrrls, but none of them can compete with Huggy Bear. This is punk rock at its finest..bratty, smart & angry. I love the boy/girl British accented vocals which reminds one of the late 70's when punk exploded in England. It's perfect. I wish I could have seen them before they broke up!! I discovered Huggy Bear in 1992 when I was 14 and they remain one my favorite bands of all time. I was too young to go to shows back then, but this record is a great piece of history that documents riot grrrl at its best.