Detroit 442/Funeral March split 7" review

Detroit 442/Funeral March- split 7” review

This record kicks into gear with local sons of bitches Detroit 442’s song “I Remember”- this is jarring, off-kilter hard punk that hits harder than a Dead Boy song but not as hard as a Black Flag song, at least sonically.  The lyrics are a whole different level, though; the lyrics written by singer Lacy (from his work with Son of Sam, to the Hillside Stranglers, to these lyrics here) are transcendental, parroting and echoing for what seems like forever- it’s almost akin to propaganda, but seems to come from a mouth of a patient fresh out of the loony bin.  Mumbled, repeated, deranged, frustrated, never lacking in the value so subtle to the words of the neglected and ignored, the words are what win one over here.  Though it is not a downright sane man’s thought process, one finds sympathy for the narrator easily.  Perhaps it is the voice of our collective conscious as sane people, though this voice is from a darker place, comprised of deeper desires than we know of or care to admit to.  The music is a jarring, driving version of the original wave of punk- imagine if Stiv Bators didn’t die, but was forced into an existence not unlike that of A Clockwork Orange, and was released to the custody of his old band The Dead Boys.  Angrier, faster, and out for revenge, but it is a punk rock sound, not a hardcore one.

Funeral March’s songs start out similarly, driving and weird, funky yet energetic- still, this is a punk band to its core.  It’s too catchy, and does not smell of the misdirected anger hardcore has; also, it’s a song that runs together as one entity (each individual song, that is).  They are not composed of parts, but run smoothly together as a single entity.  Whereas hardcore can be chopped up into pieces for songs, this runs together like a run-on sentence- not always fitting perfectly as it should, but always fitting in place nonetheless.  Energetic punk rock that the sons and daughters of OG 80s hardcore will appreciate, understand, and if all goes well, they’ll dance to it, too.  The mix on these songs (all four/both sides) is spectacular; balanced but loud enough to hit you in the face and not break a bone.  Giving these songs a second listen was one of the better decisions I’ve made this year.  Nab this slab of wax if you can.

-Aunty Social