It's hard to ignore an abrasive band like The Locust. They're loud, fast, and worst of all, proud of it. And it doesn't particularly help that they strap on locust-mask headwear and don green superhero costumes before jumping on stage. But instead of trying to ignore the brouhaha, I've found it's easiest to just submit yourself to the music. That's right, folks. Conform. Dividing the underground into yet another sector of scenester-types, the four idiosyncratic anomalies from San Diego rip through 23 tracks in under 21 minutes on their debut LP, Plague Soundscapes. That means the average length of each track is less than a minute long! Melt-Banana pastiches? Not quite. While Melt-Banana continually extends its tracks with each new album (see Cell-Scape), The Locust seems to carry the torch of their Tokyo counterpart, forcing punk to trade any urges toward sobriety for an extra dose of alcohol and drugs (metaphorically speaking, of course). Predictably, Plague Soundscapes upon initial listenings is a seemingly endless maelstrom of impulsive cacophony-- pure discordance that seems more fleeting than concrete. The songs end before you can even pinpoint the first verse. As a result, the album requires repeated listens in order to distinguish the tracks from one another, making you rely on the ability to quickly identify hooks in order to not get lost (e.g. the varying tempo in "Wet Dream War Machine," the off-kilter rhythms of "Teenage Moustache"). And though it's unlikely you'll memorize more than four tracks before they come to your town, it doesn't really matter: Plague Soundscapes, unfortunately, will always be subservient to the performance. Sigh. But on the bright side: this is super punk for the post-millennial kids, and fuck if I'm going to miss it!
1. Solar Panel Asses
2. Soul Exchange Program Rectum Return Policy
3. Psychic Sasquatch
4. Halo Of Pubic Hair And Earwax Manufactured For The Champion In All Of Us
5. Wet Dream War Machine
6. Twenty-Three Lubed Up Schizophrenics With Delusions Of Grandeur
7. Live From The Russian Compound
8. Psst! Is That A Halfie In Your Pants?
9. Priest With The Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Get Out Of My Bed
10. Practiced Hatred
11. Anything Jesus Does, I Can Do Better
12. Late For A Double Date With A Pile Of Atoms In The Water Closet
13. Recyclable Body Fluids In Human Form
14. Sperm Donor
15. Teenage Mustache
16. Half-Eaten Sausage Would Like To See You In His Office, The
17. Listen The Mighty Ear Is Here
18. Can We Please Get Another Nail In The Coffin Of Culture Theft?
19. How To Become A Virgin
20. Pulling The Christmas Pig By The Wrong Pair Of Ears
21. Who Wants A Dose Of The Clap?
22. Captain Gaydar Turn On Your Radar
23. Prelude To The Last Forty Minutes
More about: The Locust
