The Insults, truly a discovery to be celebrated, rise above most of the late-70s unknowns because their propulsive punk sound is so unique yet indentured to its era. The porcupine guitar leads pop like tarts all over the place, more reckless than even those of Epic Soundtracks, yet frenzied enough to bring a young punk’s blood to a boil. You gotta love the fact that there’s only bass and drums left when Richard Sikk rips into one of his laughably unconvincing solo leads. That might be the one weakness of The Insults on paper, yet they don’t detract from the momentum of the songs enough to slow them down because the riffs ream major BUtt. Wire is the first band I think as far as influencing the vocals, with a lot of stacatto bursts and yelps and yips. There’s just nothing like the enthusiasm of early punk, so fresh and exclusive as it was, and even if you’re picky about the genre I suggest spinning either tune on offer here.
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