NO DECENCY:
This Is the Reason: CD
I almost always wince when people I sorta know hand me a piece of music. It’s not that I don’t wish them well, I’m just not so big on having to tell bands that I think their music sucks. One of the axioms to reviewing music is that so many really nice people make really bad music. That all said, No Decency has quickly become one of my current favorite punk/hardcore bands in the LA area. Not only is lead singer/guitarist Aaron able to spawn a stage-diving session of four, with a running start from the kitchen at a house show, these three guys have learned their lessons well. And fast. They’re young and ultra-excited/ borderline retarded (in the best ways, I assure you). The music’s a great blend of Hot Water Music (for the slower, anthemic, fist-in-the-air parts), Strike Anywhere (for the house-is-on-fire, keep-playing bits), those hidden broken-back melodies in Panthro UK United 13 that most bands keep missing, and they bring a couple extra rounds of ammo of their own to the fight. So it’s catchy, smart, rebellious, and shoots up the goddamn place. Not only are their hearts in the right place, they can play in a way that’ll make you care about what they’re singing, too. On their website, they’re promising to have hats you can drink beer out of for sale really soon. –Todd Taylor (Destroy All Records)