CITIZEN USELESS:
Don’t Die for Lies: CD
A quick glance at this album’s cover art had me excited for what I assumed would be a hilarious, dopey U.S. release with corny lyrics. But instead it’s an earnest, amazing, terrific release from Jakarta, Indonesia! The lyrical content ranges from serious political diatribes like “I Hate Americans” and “Day of the Dead,” to prototypical teen anthems like “Assole-ium.” It’s heavily influenced by 1990s street punk, but with a freshness as if Citizen Useless invented that style. The globalization of punk began almost right at its inception, but there still aren’t too many releases from even densely populated countries like Indonesia making it to stateside shelves. Fortunately, this fine CD can be found easily and it’s a must for fans of hearty, basic fare. How much is a round-trip flight to Indonesia to see these guys live? It’s $1,475 as of this writing. I guess I’m sticking to the recordings for now. –Art Ettinger (Self-released, myspace.com/citizenuseless)